Find the right backup drive for your storage needs

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">You've got a lot of valuable things stashed on your computer. Some of them—like your music library—are deeply personal. Others—tax returns and business documents—are more mundane, but still important to keep around. And then there are things like photos that are simply irreplaceable should your computer's hard drive suddenly give up the ghost.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">If putting together a <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/186735/hasslefreepc.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">backup plan for your PC</a> or <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2013004/backup-basics-the-quick-something-is-better-than-nothing-backup-system.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Mac</a> is on your list of New Year's resolutions, maybe a backup device should be on your holiday wishlist. But what device is appropriate for your needs?</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">You can narrow down the search just by answering a few quick questions. Do you need to backup just one computer or an entire household of machines? If it's just you, an external desktop drive may be the best choice. Look for a drive with a capacity higher than that of the computer you're backing up. I recommend at least twice the capacity of your internal drive, if possible. Multi-computer households or offices should look into network attached storage options. We'll examine both choices below.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Desktop backup drives</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Most desktop backup devices use rotational hard drives, generally 7,200-RPM drives that require an external power supply. These hard drives aren't as fast as solid state drives, but they offer much higher capacities and lower prices. Speed isn't as important as capacity, especially when performing incremental backups. Most connect to your PC via USB 3.0, though eSATA and Thunderbolt drives are available.</p> <img alt="" height="388" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/1253025_1160-100046175-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> The Buffalo DriveStation DDR uses onboard DDR memory for fast write performance when making backups.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Look for a drive with storage capacity higher than what you're backing up. Some backup software, like Apple's Time Machine, will keep multiple versions of documents that you've changed between backups, so the more available space, the more protected you are. If you can swing it, look for a drive with twice the capacity of the data you want to back up. You'll find desktop hard drives with 2TB of capacity starting at around $100.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">For greater data protection, look for a multi-drive device that supports RAID 1, also known as mirroring. RAID 1 maintains an exact duplicate of your backups, so that if one drive fails, your data is not lost. For the utmost in security, look for a backup device that offers easily removable drives. That way you can rotate drives in and out, keeping one of the backups offsite to protect your data in case of a fire or flood.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">The <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2044408/review-buffalo-s-drivestation-ddr-caches-for-superfast-write-performance.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Buffalo DriveStation DDR</a> is a good single-drive deskop hard drive that offers fast write performance thanks to novel use of 1GB of onboard DDR3 memory.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Network attached storage</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If you need to back up multiple computers, you'll want to look into network attached storage, or NAS. NAS devices range in size from single drive units meant mainly for media storage, all the way up to multiple drive devices that offer huge capacity and fault-tolerant RAID arrays. Most NAS devices have USB ports on them, but they're meant for adding additional storage, not a direct connection to your PC.</p> <img alt="robert cardin" height="388" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/03/1252730_1160-100029674-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you want to access your files from anywhere via the Internet, the QNAP TS-469-Pro is an attractive NAS option.</p>ROBERT CARDIN<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Many NAS boxes, like the <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2046116/qnap-ts-469-pro-review-a-fast-nas-box-well-suited-to-both-business-and-pleasure.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">QNAP TS-469 Pro</a>, let you access files saved on the device from anywhere via the Internet and offer ways to store and share movies and songs with TVs on your network.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">There can be a downside to NAS storage, though. While almost all devices are administered through a standard web browser, some seem to expect you to have a degree in computer science to manage them properly. If that doesn't describe you, I recommend <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2051347/wd-my-cloud-review-a-better-more-secure-alternative-to-cloud-storage.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Western Digital's MyCloud drive</a>. It offers an easy to use web interface that can be accessed from Macs, PCs, as well as Android and iOS devices.</p>

Find the right backup drive for your storage needs

You've got a lot of valuable things stashed on your computer. Some of them—like your music library—are deeply personal. Others—tax retur...

Read more »

Find the right backup drive for your storage needs

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">You've got a lot of valuable things stashed on your computer. Some of them—like your music library—are deeply personal. Others—tax returns and business documents—are more mundane, but still important to keep around. And then there are things like photos that are simply irreplaceable should your computer's hard drive suddenly give up the ghost.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">If putting together a <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/186735/hasslefreepc.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">backup plan for your PC</a> or <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2013004/backup-basics-the-quick-something-is-better-than-nothing-backup-system.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Mac</a> is on your list of New Year's resolutions, maybe a backup device should be on your holiday wishlist. But what device is appropriate for your needs?</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">You can narrow down the search just by answering a few quick questions. Do you need to backup just one computer or an entire household of machines? If it's just you, an external desktop drive may be the best choice. Look for a drive with a capacity higher than that of the computer you're backing up. I recommend at least twice the capacity of your internal drive, if possible. Multi-computer households or offices should look into network attached storage options. We'll examine both choices below.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Desktop backup drives</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Most desktop backup devices use rotational hard drives, generally 7,200-RPM drives that require an external power supply. These hard drives aren't as fast as solid state drives, but they offer much higher capacities and lower prices. Speed isn't as important as capacity, especially when performing incremental backups. Most connect to your PC via USB 3.0, though eSATA and Thunderbolt drives are available.</p> <img alt="" height="388" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/1253025_1160-100046175-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> The Buffalo DriveStation DDR uses onboard DDR memory for fast write performance when making backups.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Look for a drive with storage capacity higher than what you're backing up. Some backup software, like Apple's Time Machine, will keep multiple versions of documents that you've changed between backups, so the more available space, the more protected you are. If you can swing it, look for a drive with twice the capacity of the data you want to back up. You'll find desktop hard drives with 2TB of capacity starting at around $100.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">For greater data protection, look for a multi-drive device that supports RAID 1, also known as mirroring. RAID 1 maintains an exact duplicate of your backups, so that if one drive fails, your data is not lost. For the utmost in security, look for a backup device that offers easily removable drives. That way you can rotate drives in and out, keeping one of the backups offsite to protect your data in case of a fire or flood.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">The <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2044408/review-buffalo-s-drivestation-ddr-caches-for-superfast-write-performance.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Buffalo DriveStation DDR</a> is a good single-drive deskop hard drive that offers fast write performance thanks to novel use of 1GB of onboard DDR3 memory.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Network attached storage</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If you need to back up multiple computers, you'll want to look into network attached storage, or NAS. NAS devices range in size from single drive units meant mainly for media storage, all the way up to multiple drive devices that offer huge capacity and fault-tolerant RAID arrays. Most NAS devices have USB ports on them, but they're meant for adding additional storage, not a direct connection to your PC.</p> <img alt="robert cardin" height="388" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/03/1252730_1160-100029674-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you want to access your files from anywhere via the Internet, the QNAP TS-469-Pro is an attractive NAS option.</p>ROBERT CARDIN<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Many NAS boxes, like the <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2046116/qnap-ts-469-pro-review-a-fast-nas-box-well-suited-to-both-business-and-pleasure.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">QNAP TS-469 Pro</a>, let you access files saved on the device from anywhere via the Internet and offer ways to store and share movies and songs with TVs on your network.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">There can be a downside to NAS storage, though. While almost all devices are administered through a standard web browser, some seem to expect you to have a degree in computer science to manage them properly. If that doesn't describe you, I recommend <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2051347/wd-my-cloud-review-a-better-more-secure-alternative-to-cloud-storage.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Western Digital's MyCloud drive</a>. It offers an easy to use web interface that can be accessed from Macs, PCs, as well as Android and iOS devices.</p>

Find the right backup drive for your storage needs

You've got a lot of valuable things stashed on your computer. Some of them—like your music library—are deeply personal. Others—tax retur...

Read more »

How to make your pet as Internet-famous as Lil Bub and Menswear Dog combined

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"His name is Blanka," I told the sales associate at Free People as my 10-pound French bulldog puppy snorted his way across the countertop. "I might be biased, but isn't he adorable?"</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"Ohmigod," the dark-haired girl exclaimed. "Does he have an Instagram account yet?"</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> This is the state of tech-savvy pet ownership today. Every adorable Frenchie, hipster-looking cat, and snuggly hedgehog has its own social media footprint. Thanks, Internet!</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> But some pets rise above the others. Think of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/mugumogu" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Maru</a>, the box-loving Japanese kitty whose YouTube videos have garnered millions of views. Or <a href="http://lilbub.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Lil Bub</a>, whose big-eyed, perma-kitten face has captured the hearts of American and international fans alike. Or <a href="http://instagram.com/trotterpup/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Trotter</a>, the hipster French bulldog that wears people clothes and boasts hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers. These pets are more than just social media-savvy—they're famous.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Totally, utterly, legitimately Internet-famous.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> But they weren't always that way. Once upon a time, <a href="http://www.grumpycats.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Grumpy Cat</a> was just a disgruntled-looking feline. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Boo" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Boo</a>was just a Pomeranian with an awkward haircut. <a href="http://mensweardog.tumblr.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Menswear Dog</a>was just a non-clothes-wearing Shiba Inu. Then their caretakers stepped up, and they became the viral sensations they are today. You can do it too—with some help (and luck), of course. Here are some tips from the owners of famous pets on how to launch your furry friend's Internet career.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Give your pet a voice</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The best way to help your pet stand out is to give them a voice and a backstory. Domestic dogs and cats don't live particularly exciting lives, so you'll get extra points for creating a cute or snarky backstory that works with your pet's personal brand. Lil Bub is a dwarf kitten with a unique look, so her owner, Mike Bridavsky, decided to say she was from outer space.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/lil-bub-3-copyright-mike-bridavsky-100067104-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/lil-bub-3-copyright-mike-bridavsky-100067104-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">MIKE BRIDAVSKY</small>Lil Bub's unique look makes the fictional story about her extraterrestrial background that much funnier.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "A friend saw Bub and said I should start a blog for her," Bridavsky says. "I thought it would be a fun, sort of ironic thing to do, so I made a Tumblr. I answered questions on Tumblr in her voice because it was funny. And then I decided to say she was from outer space."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Other famous pets also have voices and stories. Boo, the world's cutest Pomeranian, has a simple yet compelling description on his Facebook page: "My name is Boo. I am a dog. Life is good." <a href="http://textfromdog.tumblr.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Batdog</a>, a tech-savvy bulldog across the pond, supposedly sends snarky text messages to his absent owner. Every pet owner knows that animals have personalities, and by giving voice to your pet's idiosyncracies on a social network such as Tumblr or Instagram, you're making other people on the Internet feel as if they're interacting with an adorable furry creature, not a crazy cat lady.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Work with what you've got</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Does your pet have a quirk? Or maybe two or three? Rather than training it out of them, embrace it as something that makes them unique and easily recognizable online.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "It's important to find a niche," says Sonya Yu, who owns Trotter, a female French bulldog with over 170,000 Instagram followers. "You're creating a brand, after all. There's that dog that always has his paw up—selfie dog. Or the Brussels griffon who's always posing with poker chips—<a href="http://instagram.com/biggie_griffon" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Biggie Smalls</a>. People need to be able to remember something special about your pet."</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-sf-for-paypal-100067101-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-sf-for-paypal-100067101-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">SONYA YU</small>Trotter seems to enjoy playing dress-up.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> In other words, if your pup enjoys lying on things, photograph him lying on tons of funny objects. Or if your cat loves hiding in boxes, record him playing and hiding in tons of different boxes.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "For example," Yu says, "Trotter is really compliant. She'll just sit there and let you dress her up and put things on her head. So we dress her up and put things on her head. And then we take pictures."</p><h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> Think of the branding opportunities</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Do you want your pet to be featured in magazine spreads, ads, and books? Then think like a marketing representative—highlight your pet's best features as things that make the brand look good.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"If you want to eventually collaborate with brands, you might want to try incorporating brands in your pictures," Yu says. "Marketing people want to know how they can use your pet to sell their product. So let them see what types of photos and videos they might be able to take. For example, shoe companies love Trotter because I take lots of photos of her wearing designer shoes."</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-cupcakes-for-paypal-100067099-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="140" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-cupcakes-for-paypal-100067099-small.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="140"></a>Trotter<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Some strategic brand placement might help your chances of getting an offer, but it's also important to focus on building your pet's brand. Trotter recently worked with PayPal to promote the use of the online payment service in various venues around San Francisco. According to Dave Peck, head of social media at PayPal, the company chose Trotter for the #paypalit campaign because she was "well known on Instagram, and we thought she would bring a unique perspective to how someone can use PayPal." In the PayPal campaign, Trotter was featured basking in fields near the Golden Gate Bridge, and sitting on a chair with cupcakes on her head—no PayPal logo in sight.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Of course, you should also stay true to your values. "We have turned down collaborations that we weren't personally passionate about or that we felt weren't in line with the content we would want to feature on the website," says David Fung, owner of male Shiba Inu Bodhi—aka<a href="http://mensweardog.tumblr.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Menswear Dog</a>. "The best collaborations are mutually beneficial."</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Set up separate social media accounts</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Setting up a Facebook/Twitter/Instagram account for your pet might seem a bit arrogant. After all, just because your pet is the center of <em style>your</em> world doesn't mean anyone else will want to follow him.</p><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/menswear-dog-copyright-dave-fung-and-yena-kim-100067102-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="809" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/menswear-dog-copyright-dave-fung-and-yena-kim-100067102-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">DAVID FUNG</small>Menswear Dog has his own Tumblr, which makes it easy for David Fung's friends to opt in or out of seeing photos of his dog Bodhi all dressed up.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The truth is, setting up separate social media accounts for your pet benefits everyone. It benefits you, because it allows you to unabashedly post 150 pictures of your pet every day; it benefits your real-life friends, because they don't have to slog through 150 photos of your pet every day unless they subscribe separately to your pet's feed; and it benefits strangers on the Internet, because they don't have to see your random, awkward personal posts interspersed with cute puppy photos. Separate social media accounts also help you create a voice and brand for your pet.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"I set up an account for Trotter because I wanted to keep my Instagram my own," Yu explains. "Plus, Trotter's account lets me speak through her voice, which makes her more relatable to strangers."</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">No pet? Choose wisely</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Planning on getting a pet just so you can have an Internet-famous animal? Well, I shouldn't have to tell you that that's a bad idea.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> But if you were planning on getting a pet anyway, here's a tip: Don't underestimate the quirky-looking puppy in the corner. Tons of pet careers have been launched on unique appearances—just look at Lil Bub, Grumpy Cat, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonTheHipsterCat" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Hamilton the Hipster Cat</a>. The Internet has a fairly short attention span, so if you can grab people with one awesome picture of a distinctive-looking furry friend, you definitely should.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/ragdoll-gracie-2-copyright-mary-kleypas-100067105-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="489" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/ragdoll-gracie-2-copyright-mary-kleypas-100067105-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">MARY KLEYPAS</small>Ragdoll Gracie in her natural habitat.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "I never intended for her to be Internet famous," says Mary Kleypas, owner of the unusually beautiful lynx Ragdoll cat <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RagdollGracie" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Ragdoll Gracie</a>. "I just wanted her to become the cover model of a cat magazine, since she was purchased as a pet and not for breeding due to her beauty." Kleypas entered Gracie into the <em style>Modern Cat</em>Cover Contest in the fall of 2012, where she took second place and received over 100,000 votes.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"I think she became famous because she's very unique—especially her coloring," Kleypas says. "Also, there are many people who have never even heard of a Ragdoll cat." Gracie has almost 30,000 likes on Facebook.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Let your pet lead the way</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If there's one thing that all Internet-famous pets have in common, it's that they love the spotlight.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "Right now, I'm driving to Chicago and Bub is sleeping on my lap," Bridavsky says. "This is not how cats normally behave. I have four other cats, and none of them would be cut out for this. If Bub didn't love crowds, traveling, and meeting people, we would absolutely not be doing this."</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/lil-bub-2-copyright-mike-bridavsky-100067103-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/lil-bub-2-copyright-mike-bridavsky-100067103-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">MIKE BRIDAVSKY</small>Obviously, you should never push your pet to do something it doesn't want to do. That includes photoshoots.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Is your pet ready to be famous? Note that such a career requires some upkeep, which can mean constant photos, meet-and-greets, brand collaborations, and even TV interviews. If your pet doesn't like big crowds, new people, or doing what they're famous for doing, you should reconsider pushing for fame. "You should always have your pet's health and comfort in mind," Bridavsky says. "You have to respect your pet's boundaries."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Fung agrees. "Bodhi is usually a rock star when it comes to photoshoots, but when he doesn't feel like shooting, we take a break and do some random fun things until he's in the mood to shoot again. A disgruntled diva is bad news, so we don't even go there."</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Do it for love, not fame</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "It's weird," Bridavsky says. "It's weird to be famous because of—and to make money off of—your cat. But I didn't start doing this because I wanted Bub to be famous; I started doing this because I genuinely think she's the most amazing creature on the planet, and I wanted to share that with people."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Instead of seeking out fame, your time may be better spent having fun and being creative with your pet. The most famous pets didn't get that way because their owners wanted them to be famous—for the most part, their owners just wanted to make people laugh.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-lips-sonya-yu-100067100-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-lips-sonya-yu-100067100-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">SONYA YU</small>Weird. Cute, but weird.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "We saw fake lips in a store and we thought, 'I wonder if she would hold those in her mouth,'" Yu says of Trotter. "When we realized she would pretty much hold anything, and let us put anything on her, we started taking more and more pictures. It was easy for me, because I'm actually a photographer."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"His Internet fame wasn't an elaborate plan, we were just bored one lazy Saturday afternoon," Fung says of Bodhi's rise to prominence. "We decided to take a photo of Bodhi wearing serious menswear for fun. We posted one of the photos on our personal Facebook, and the response from our friends and family was so explosive that we spent the next day putting together a Tumblr for the little guy."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Perhaps these pets can't appreciate the outpouring of love and appreciation they receive online, but at least their owners can afford to supply them with all the treats and toys they could ask for.</p>

How to make your pet as Internet-famous as Lil Bub and Menswear Dog combined

"His name is Blanka," I told the sales associate at Free People as my 10-pound French bulldog puppy snorted his way across the cou...

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How to make your pet as Internet-famous as Lil Bub and Menswear Dog combined

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"His name is Blanka," I told the sales associate at Free People as my 10-pound French bulldog puppy snorted his way across the countertop. "I might be biased, but isn't he adorable?"</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"Ohmigod," the dark-haired girl exclaimed. "Does he have an Instagram account yet?"</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> This is the state of tech-savvy pet ownership today. Every adorable Frenchie, hipster-looking cat, and snuggly hedgehog has its own social media footprint. Thanks, Internet!</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> But some pets rise above the others. Think of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/mugumogu" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Maru</a>, the box-loving Japanese kitty whose YouTube videos have garnered millions of views. Or <a href="http://lilbub.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Lil Bub</a>, whose big-eyed, perma-kitten face has captured the hearts of American and international fans alike. Or <a href="http://instagram.com/trotterpup/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Trotter</a>, the hipster French bulldog that wears people clothes and boasts hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers. These pets are more than just social media-savvy—they're famous.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Totally, utterly, legitimately Internet-famous.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> But they weren't always that way. Once upon a time, <a href="http://www.grumpycats.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Grumpy Cat</a> was just a disgruntled-looking feline. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Boo" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Boo</a>was just a Pomeranian with an awkward haircut. <a href="http://mensweardog.tumblr.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Menswear Dog</a>was just a non-clothes-wearing Shiba Inu. Then their caretakers stepped up, and they became the viral sensations they are today. You can do it too—with some help (and luck), of course. Here are some tips from the owners of famous pets on how to launch your furry friend's Internet career.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Give your pet a voice</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The best way to help your pet stand out is to give them a voice and a backstory. Domestic dogs and cats don't live particularly exciting lives, so you'll get extra points for creating a cute or snarky backstory that works with your pet's personal brand. Lil Bub is a dwarf kitten with a unique look, so her owner, Mike Bridavsky, decided to say she was from outer space.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/lil-bub-3-copyright-mike-bridavsky-100067104-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/lil-bub-3-copyright-mike-bridavsky-100067104-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">MIKE BRIDAVSKY</small>Lil Bub's unique look makes the fictional story about her extraterrestrial background that much funnier.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "A friend saw Bub and said I should start a blog for her," Bridavsky says. "I thought it would be a fun, sort of ironic thing to do, so I made a Tumblr. I answered questions on Tumblr in her voice because it was funny. And then I decided to say she was from outer space."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Other famous pets also have voices and stories. Boo, the world's cutest Pomeranian, has a simple yet compelling description on his Facebook page: "My name is Boo. I am a dog. Life is good." <a href="http://textfromdog.tumblr.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Batdog</a>, a tech-savvy bulldog across the pond, supposedly sends snarky text messages to his absent owner. Every pet owner knows that animals have personalities, and by giving voice to your pet's idiosyncracies on a social network such as Tumblr or Instagram, you're making other people on the Internet feel as if they're interacting with an adorable furry creature, not a crazy cat lady.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Work with what you've got</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Does your pet have a quirk? Or maybe two or three? Rather than training it out of them, embrace it as something that makes them unique and easily recognizable online.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "It's important to find a niche," says Sonya Yu, who owns Trotter, a female French bulldog with over 170,000 Instagram followers. "You're creating a brand, after all. There's that dog that always has his paw up—selfie dog. Or the Brussels griffon who's always posing with poker chips—<a href="http://instagram.com/biggie_griffon" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Biggie Smalls</a>. People need to be able to remember something special about your pet."</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-sf-for-paypal-100067101-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-sf-for-paypal-100067101-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">SONYA YU</small>Trotter seems to enjoy playing dress-up.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> In other words, if your pup enjoys lying on things, photograph him lying on tons of funny objects. Or if your cat loves hiding in boxes, record him playing and hiding in tons of different boxes.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "For example," Yu says, "Trotter is really compliant. She'll just sit there and let you dress her up and put things on her head. So we dress her up and put things on her head. And then we take pictures."</p><h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> Think of the branding opportunities</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Do you want your pet to be featured in magazine spreads, ads, and books? Then think like a marketing representative—highlight your pet's best features as things that make the brand look good.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"If you want to eventually collaborate with brands, you might want to try incorporating brands in your pictures," Yu says. "Marketing people want to know how they can use your pet to sell their product. So let them see what types of photos and videos they might be able to take. For example, shoe companies love Trotter because I take lots of photos of her wearing designer shoes."</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-cupcakes-for-paypal-100067099-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="140" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-cupcakes-for-paypal-100067099-small.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="140"></a>Trotter<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Some strategic brand placement might help your chances of getting an offer, but it's also important to focus on building your pet's brand. Trotter recently worked with PayPal to promote the use of the online payment service in various venues around San Francisco. According to Dave Peck, head of social media at PayPal, the company chose Trotter for the #paypalit campaign because she was "well known on Instagram, and we thought she would bring a unique perspective to how someone can use PayPal." In the PayPal campaign, Trotter was featured basking in fields near the Golden Gate Bridge, and sitting on a chair with cupcakes on her head—no PayPal logo in sight.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Of course, you should also stay true to your values. "We have turned down collaborations that we weren't personally passionate about or that we felt weren't in line with the content we would want to feature on the website," says David Fung, owner of male Shiba Inu Bodhi—aka<a href="http://mensweardog.tumblr.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Menswear Dog</a>. "The best collaborations are mutually beneficial."</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Set up separate social media accounts</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Setting up a Facebook/Twitter/Instagram account for your pet might seem a bit arrogant. After all, just because your pet is the center of <em style>your</em> world doesn't mean anyone else will want to follow him.</p><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/menswear-dog-copyright-dave-fung-and-yena-kim-100067102-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="809" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/menswear-dog-copyright-dave-fung-and-yena-kim-100067102-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">DAVID FUNG</small>Menswear Dog has his own Tumblr, which makes it easy for David Fung's friends to opt in or out of seeing photos of his dog Bodhi all dressed up.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The truth is, setting up separate social media accounts for your pet benefits everyone. It benefits you, because it allows you to unabashedly post 150 pictures of your pet every day; it benefits your real-life friends, because they don't have to slog through 150 photos of your pet every day unless they subscribe separately to your pet's feed; and it benefits strangers on the Internet, because they don't have to see your random, awkward personal posts interspersed with cute puppy photos. Separate social media accounts also help you create a voice and brand for your pet.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"I set up an account for Trotter because I wanted to keep my Instagram my own," Yu explains. "Plus, Trotter's account lets me speak through her voice, which makes her more relatable to strangers."</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">No pet? Choose wisely</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Planning on getting a pet just so you can have an Internet-famous animal? Well, I shouldn't have to tell you that that's a bad idea.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> But if you were planning on getting a pet anyway, here's a tip: Don't underestimate the quirky-looking puppy in the corner. Tons of pet careers have been launched on unique appearances—just look at Lil Bub, Grumpy Cat, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonTheHipsterCat" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Hamilton the Hipster Cat</a>. The Internet has a fairly short attention span, so if you can grab people with one awesome picture of a distinctive-looking furry friend, you definitely should.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/ragdoll-gracie-2-copyright-mary-kleypas-100067105-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="489" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/ragdoll-gracie-2-copyright-mary-kleypas-100067105-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">MARY KLEYPAS</small>Ragdoll Gracie in her natural habitat.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "I never intended for her to be Internet famous," says Mary Kleypas, owner of the unusually beautiful lynx Ragdoll cat <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RagdollGracie" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Ragdoll Gracie</a>. "I just wanted her to become the cover model of a cat magazine, since she was purchased as a pet and not for breeding due to her beauty." Kleypas entered Gracie into the <em style>Modern Cat</em>Cover Contest in the fall of 2012, where she took second place and received over 100,000 votes.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"I think she became famous because she's very unique—especially her coloring," Kleypas says. "Also, there are many people who have never even heard of a Ragdoll cat." Gracie has almost 30,000 likes on Facebook.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Let your pet lead the way</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If there's one thing that all Internet-famous pets have in common, it's that they love the spotlight.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "Right now, I'm driving to Chicago and Bub is sleeping on my lap," Bridavsky says. "This is not how cats normally behave. I have four other cats, and none of them would be cut out for this. If Bub didn't love crowds, traveling, and meeting people, we would absolutely not be doing this."</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/lil-bub-2-copyright-mike-bridavsky-100067103-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/lil-bub-2-copyright-mike-bridavsky-100067103-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">MIKE BRIDAVSKY</small>Obviously, you should never push your pet to do something it doesn't want to do. That includes photoshoots.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Is your pet ready to be famous? Note that such a career requires some upkeep, which can mean constant photos, meet-and-greets, brand collaborations, and even TV interviews. If your pet doesn't like big crowds, new people, or doing what they're famous for doing, you should reconsider pushing for fame. "You should always have your pet's health and comfort in mind," Bridavsky says. "You have to respect your pet's boundaries."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Fung agrees. "Bodhi is usually a rock star when it comes to photoshoots, but when he doesn't feel like shooting, we take a break and do some random fun things until he's in the mood to shoot again. A disgruntled diva is bad news, so we don't even go there."</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Do it for love, not fame</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "It's weird," Bridavsky says. "It's weird to be famous because of—and to make money off of—your cat. But I didn't start doing this because I wanted Bub to be famous; I started doing this because I genuinely think she's the most amazing creature on the planet, and I wanted to share that with people."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Instead of seeking out fame, your time may be better spent having fun and being creative with your pet. The most famous pets didn't get that way because their owners wanted them to be famous—for the most part, their owners just wanted to make people laugh.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-lips-sonya-yu-100067100-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/trotter-lips-sonya-yu-100067100-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a><small class="credit" style="font-size:9px;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;display:block;float:left;background-image:url(http://csmb.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png);color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:1px 3px 2px;background-repeat:initial initial">SONYA YU</small>Weird. Cute, but weird.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> "We saw fake lips in a store and we thought, 'I wonder if she would hold those in her mouth,'" Yu says of Trotter. "When we realized she would pretty much hold anything, and let us put anything on her, we started taking more and more pictures. It was easy for me, because I'm actually a photographer."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">"His Internet fame wasn't an elaborate plan, we were just bored one lazy Saturday afternoon," Fung says of Bodhi's rise to prominence. "We decided to take a photo of Bodhi wearing serious menswear for fun. We posted one of the photos on our personal Facebook, and the response from our friends and family was so explosive that we spent the next day putting together a Tumblr for the little guy."</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Perhaps these pets can't appreciate the outpouring of love and appreciation they receive online, but at least their owners can afford to supply them with all the treats and toys they could ask for.</p>

How to make your pet as Internet-famous as Lil Bub and Menswear Dog combined

"His name is Blanka," I told the sales associate at Free People as my 10-pound French bulldog puppy snorted his way across the cou...

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How to set up two monitors

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"><em style="line-height:1.45em;font-size:14px">Ray Raulerson asked about running a computer with two monitors.</em></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">For years, I was quite happy with one monitor. I would see other people working with two of them, and it struck me as a waste of desk space and electricity. Three monitors looked like they would flap their wings and fly away.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Then, one day I was working with my closed laptop in its docking bay, and my eyes on my external monitor. On a whim, I opened the laptop and got a second screen. I've been a two-screen user ever since.</p> <br><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Chances are that your graphics subsystem can handle two screens. But the issues are different with desktops and laptops.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"><strong>Desktops:</strong> Pretty much all modern graphic cards support two or more monitors--at least all of the ones I've seen. Your motherboard's built-in graphics may also support both, but that's not quite a guarantee. Check the back of your computer to see how many video ports you've got. And then, just to make sure, check the manual.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"><strong>Laptops:</strong> These all have separate VGA ports, and often HDMI or DisplayPort, as well. Plug in a monitor, keep your built-in screen on, and you've got two.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">But you need more than the ability to plug in two monitors and send signals to them. You have to tell Windows how to manage both monitors correctly.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">The following instructions apply to Windows 7. For Windows 8 setup, see<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/259794/how_to_set_up_multiple_monitors_in_windows_8.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">How to set up multiple monitors In Windows 8</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">If Windows only appears on one monitor, or if the two of them aren't working the way they should, right-click the desktop and select <em>Screen resolution.</em></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">The resulting dialog box provides more than a way to set pixel's. The Multiple Displays pull-down menu allows you to control how the two screens work together. I recommend <em>Extend these displays.</em></p> <em><img alt="" border="0" height="675" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/1111-screen-resolution-100066246-orig.jpg" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="809"></em><em></em><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Once you've selected that setting, you can tell Windows which monitor is on the left or right by dragging the graphics at the top of the dialog box. Get this wrong, and scrolling the mouse will be very confusing.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The <em>Make this my main display </em>option controls which monitor gets the taskbar and Start button. If you don't see that option, the currently-selected monitor is already the main one.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> You can also control many of these settings by right-clicking the desktop and selecting <em>Graphic Options>Output to</em>.</p>

How to set up two monitors

Ray Raulerson asked about running a computer with two monitors. For years, I was quite happy with one monitor. I would see other people ...

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How to edit GIFs without resorting to Photoshop

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">GIFs are the twitchy, loopy language of the <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2039021/31-animated-gifs-for-when-you-graduate-college.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">modern</a> <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2049407/imgurs-popularity-proves-people-cant-get-enough-cat-gifs.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">memorific</a> <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2039296/welcome-to-the-new-tumblr-cat-gifs-and-more-ads.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Web</a>. Once you've come upon a GIF that expresses the real deep-down you—be it via a Michael Scott moment, a clip from <em>Step Brothers</em>, or a <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=totes%20adorbs" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">totes adorbes</a> kitteh—you'll want to share it with others!</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">But sometimes those little pieces of bitmapped magic need just a wee tweaking before they're ready for prime time in an email or on Tumblr.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">A number of programs and apps will allow you to <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2030785/craft-your-own-animated-gifs-with-these-tools.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">create your own giffy goodness</a>, but if you just need a quick easy fix for a preexisting gif,<a href="http://ezgif.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">EzGIF.com</a> is a free one-stop shop.</p> <a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/ezgifcom-100067707-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="EZGIF" border="0" height="157" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/ezgifcom-100067707-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"></a>EzGIF's easy Web suite of editing tools.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The site offers a straightforward GIF tool belt, which allows you to crop, resize, optimize, and otherwise "fix" a GIF—all without the need to purchase any software or have any graphics training.</p><h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> <strong>Tool time</strong></h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">You can choose which tool you want to use by clicking on any of the tabs at the top of the site's page. You can then upload the file from your computer or directly from an existing URL.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">For example, here's a familiar friend captured in looping animated form, which I found on one of the <a href="http://giphy.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">many online repositories</a>.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/mario_gif_big-100067702-large.gif" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> One caveat: When using the cropping function, it's annoyingly unclear how to proceed once you've uploaded a file, but trust us, it gets more intuitive from there.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> First, you hit the <em>Set</em> button. You'll then be presented with a small box in the corner of the image. Click and drag that to reveal a scalable, movable box that you will use to mark your crop's perimeter.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Once you find the perfect crop, hit the<em>Crop it!</em> button. EzGIF will process it and you'll be good to go. This process can take a few minutes—it depends on the size of your GIF. You will then have the option to manipulate the image further by clicking any of the options at the bottom of the screen, or downloading it by hitting the green <em>Save</em> button.</p> <img alt="Mario crop" border="0" height="150" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/mario_crop_580-100067704-large.gif" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580">The new, improved (or, at least, cropped) GIF.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Below your scaling window, you'll notice the pull-down menu with two options: 'Gifsicle' and 'ImageMagick'. Every EzGIF function has various "engines" it utilizes as it processes the GIF. Due to the vagaries of GIFdom, one engine will—on occasion—mangle your GIF. If that happens, simply begin again and try another option in the pull-down menu.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><strong>All the options</strong></h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The "GIF Resize" option allows you to—wait for it—resize your GIF. Simply hit your new size based on number of pixels. If you leave either the width or height blank, the GIF will be scaled. Hit <em>Resize it!</em> and it will process the new GIF below.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">You get the point of how it works.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The GIF Optimizer option will allow you to shave down some of the data size of your GIF by utilizing precalibrated optimization methods. The GIF Effects option gives you access to a few preselected effects like changing the GIF to sepia tone or black-and-white, or making it run in reverse.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Or you can create types of wholly unnecessary combination of filters as shown below:</p><img alt="Mario gif" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/gray_mario_fix-100067706-large.gif" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580">Probably too many.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Finally, the GIF Split option will separate the GIF into all its component slides and allow you to reorder them as you see fit. But that's probably a more-advanced option than you want to take on if your only goal is a small change.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Now go out there and make the Web a more seizure-inducing place.</p>

How to edit GIFs without resorting to Photoshop

GIFs are the twitchy, loopy language of the  modern   memorific   Web . Once you've come upon a GIF that expresses the real deep-down yo...

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How to set up two monitors

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"><em style="line-height:1.45em;font-size:14px">Ray Raulerson asked about running a computer with two monitors.</em></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">For years, I was quite happy with one monitor. I would see other people working with two of them, and it struck me as a waste of desk space and electricity. Three monitors looked like they would flap their wings and fly away.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Then, one day I was working with my closed laptop in its docking bay, and my eyes on my external monitor. On a whim, I opened the laptop and got a second screen. I've been a two-screen user ever since.</p> <br><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Chances are that your graphics subsystem can handle two screens. But the issues are different with desktops and laptops.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"><strong>Desktops:</strong> Pretty much all modern graphic cards support two or more monitors--at least all of the ones I've seen. Your motherboard's built-in graphics may also support both, but that's not quite a guarantee. Check the back of your computer to see how many video ports you've got. And then, just to make sure, check the manual.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"><strong>Laptops:</strong> These all have separate VGA ports, and often HDMI or DisplayPort, as well. Plug in a monitor, keep your built-in screen on, and you've got two.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">But you need more than the ability to plug in two monitors and send signals to them. You have to tell Windows how to manage both monitors correctly.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">The following instructions apply to Windows 7. For Windows 8 setup, see<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/259794/how_to_set_up_multiple_monitors_in_windows_8.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">How to set up multiple monitors In Windows 8</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">If Windows only appears on one monitor, or if the two of them aren't working the way they should, right-click the desktop and select <em>Screen resolution.</em></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">The resulting dialog box provides more than a way to set pixel's. The Multiple Displays pull-down menu allows you to control how the two screens work together. I recommend <em>Extend these displays.</em></p> <em><img alt="" border="0" height="675" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/1111-screen-resolution-100066246-orig.jpg" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="809"></em><em></em><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Once you've selected that setting, you can tell Windows which monitor is on the left or right by dragging the graphics at the top of the dialog box. Get this wrong, and scrolling the mouse will be very confusing.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The <em>Make this my main display </em>option controls which monitor gets the taskbar and Start button. If you don't see that option, the currently-selected monitor is already the main one.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> You can also control many of these settings by right-clicking the desktop and selecting <em>Graphic Options>Output to</em>.</p>

How to set up two monitors

Ray Raulerson asked about running a computer with two monitors. For years, I was quite happy with one monitor. I would see other people ...

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How to edit GIFs without resorting to Photoshop

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">GIFs are the twitchy, loopy language of the <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2039021/31-animated-gifs-for-when-you-graduate-college.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">modern</a> <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2049407/imgurs-popularity-proves-people-cant-get-enough-cat-gifs.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">memorific</a> <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2039296/welcome-to-the-new-tumblr-cat-gifs-and-more-ads.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">Web</a>. Once you've come upon a GIF that expresses the real deep-down you—be it via a Michael Scott moment, a clip from <em>Step Brothers</em>, or a <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=totes%20adorbs" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">totes adorbes</a> kitteh—you'll want to share it with others!</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">But sometimes those little pieces of bitmapped magic need just a wee tweaking before they're ready for prime time in an email or on Tumblr.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">A number of programs and apps will allow you to <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2030785/craft-your-own-animated-gifs-with-these-tools.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">create your own giffy goodness</a>, but if you just need a quick easy fix for a preexisting gif,<a href="http://ezgif.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">EzGIF.com</a> is a free one-stop shop.</p> <a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/ezgifcom-100067707-orig.png" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank"><img alt="EZGIF" border="0" height="157" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/ezgifcom-100067707-large.png" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"></a>EzGIF's easy Web suite of editing tools.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The site offers a straightforward GIF tool belt, which allows you to crop, resize, optimize, and otherwise "fix" a GIF—all without the need to purchase any software or have any graphics training.</p><h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> <strong>Tool time</strong></h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">You can choose which tool you want to use by clicking on any of the tabs at the top of the site's page. You can then upload the file from your computer or directly from an existing URL.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">For example, here's a familiar friend captured in looping animated form, which I found on one of the <a href="http://giphy.com/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)" target="_blank">many online repositories</a>.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/mario_gif_big-100067702-large.gif" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> One caveat: When using the cropping function, it's annoyingly unclear how to proceed once you've uploaded a file, but trust us, it gets more intuitive from there.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> First, you hit the <em>Set</em> button. You'll then be presented with a small box in the corner of the image. Click and drag that to reveal a scalable, movable box that you will use to mark your crop's perimeter.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Once you find the perfect crop, hit the<em>Crop it!</em> button. EzGIF will process it and you'll be good to go. This process can take a few minutes—it depends on the size of your GIF. You will then have the option to manipulate the image further by clicking any of the options at the bottom of the screen, or downloading it by hitting the green <em>Save</em> button.</p> <img alt="Mario crop" border="0" height="150" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/mario_crop_580-100067704-large.gif" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580">The new, improved (or, at least, cropped) GIF.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Below your scaling window, you'll notice the pull-down menu with two options: 'Gifsicle' and 'ImageMagick'. Every EzGIF function has various "engines" it utilizes as it processes the GIF. Due to the vagaries of GIFdom, one engine will—on occasion—mangle your GIF. If that happens, simply begin again and try another option in the pull-down menu.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><strong>All the options</strong></h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The "GIF Resize" option allows you to—wait for it—resize your GIF. Simply hit your new size based on number of pixels. If you leave either the width or height blank, the GIF will be scaled. Hit <em>Resize it!</em> and it will process the new GIF below.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">You get the point of how it works.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> The GIF Optimizer option will allow you to shave down some of the data size of your GIF by utilizing precalibrated optimization methods. The GIF Effects option gives you access to a few preselected effects like changing the GIF to sepia tone or black-and-white, or making it run in reverse.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Or you can create types of wholly unnecessary combination of filters as shown below:</p><img alt="Mario gif" border="0" height="580" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/gray_mario_fix-100067706-large.gif" style="border-width:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:auto;min-height:auto;max-width:100%;float:left" width="580">Probably too many.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Finally, the GIF Split option will separate the GIF into all its component slides and allow you to reorder them as you see fit. But that's probably a more-advanced option than you want to take on if your only goal is a small change.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Now go out there and make the Web a more seizure-inducing place.</p>

How to edit GIFs without resorting to Photoshop

GIFs are the twitchy, loopy language of the  modern   memorific   Web . Once you've come upon a GIF that expresses the real deep-down yo...

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Keep your laptop safe and secure while you travel

<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Of course your laptop is coming with you on any holiday trips. It's your pride and joy—for many of us, it's practically an appendage. It's our entertainment at the airport and on the plane. It's our office umbilical cord—because you know you can never <em style>completely</em> escape work.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Unlike an arm or leg, though, your laptop isn't physically attached to your body. And there are all too many ways that it can come to harm—or even disappear with someone who covets it as much as you do. Follow these tips for laptop security, and you won't have to ask Santa to bring you a new one.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Keep it padded</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Tossing a laptop into the average backpack, book bag—or worse, simply carrying it under your arm—is asking for trouble. Your delicate hardware needs a purpose-built enclosure to keep it safe.</p><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/case-100068429-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="504" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/case-100068429-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>Find a nice, cushioned bag without obvious laptop markings and logos.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Traveling is full of shoving bags into tight spots, jostling them about, and stuffing in <em style>just one more thing</em>. Push a little too hard, and you may hear an investment-shattering crack. Get a laptop-specific carrying case with plenty of padding and protection. Separate compartments for accessories and power cables are a luxury that can keep your PC scratch and dent free.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">To deter theft, buy a nondescript bag, without logos that advertise to potential thieves that there's valuable merchandise inside.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Turn it off</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> It's tough to pack a powerful computer into a tiny enclosure, and then keep its critical components running nice and cool. That's what the numerous vents and fans that suck cool air in and push hot air are for. Now imagine the heat that can accumulate in the secure, padded, tight quarters of a fancy new laptop bag.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Don't make the mistake of cramming a sleeping computer into the confines of a backpack or messenger bag. Hibernating is not the same as being powered off. Heat is a computer's enemy number one. It can shorten your computer's useful life, loosen components in the motherboard, or entirely destroy it. Block the computer's vents for long stretches, and you could unpack a fried PC at the end of your trip. Be safe and power down that laptop before you stow it.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">If you <em style>do</em> discover your laptop's temperature to be on the rise, here are some suggestions for <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2039789/cool-down-an-overheated-laptop.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">cooling it down</a>.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Keep an eye on it, but keep it out of sight</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Laptops are hot-ticket items for thieves. Keep yours on your lap or within view while you're at the airport, bus, or train terminal. Don't leave it an open target by setting it on an adjacent seat and then becoming distracted by your phone or your kids. If it disappears, don't expect it to show up at the lost and found.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">When traveling by car, keep your laptop hidden. Leaving it exposed on the passenger seat, even when getting out to pump gas, could be the perfect opportunity for a sticky-fingered individual to reach in and scoop up the loot. Keep it in the trunk, under the seat, or cover it with a jacket. And keep your car locked at all times.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/lojack-100068467-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="402" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/lojack-100068467-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>LoJack can increase your chances of recovering a stolen laptop.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> If, in spite of your best efforts, your laptop still winds up missing, you might be able to recover it—provided you installed a program such as<a href="http://www3.absolute.com/en/lojackforlaptops/home" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">LoJack </a>before you hit the road. You'll find some other good recovery tips<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010825/can-i-recover-a-stolen-laptop.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">here</a>.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Back it up and lock it down</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> What could be worse than losing your laptop? Losing the information you have stored on it. Follow a backup regimen, keeping a copy of your important data on a hard drive at the home or office or in the cloud, so you can pick up where you left off as soon as you can afford to replace the missing PC.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">And what could be worse than losing the information stored on your laptop? Knowing some unsavory person has access to it. What's on your laptop? Contact information for friends, family, and colleagues? Personal photos? Banking and tax records? Sensitive information about your business? Perhaps there's enough personal information and photos to let someone steal your identity. Protect yourself by<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2025462/how-to-encrypt-almost-anything.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">locking it all down</a> with a strong password and encryption.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Store any written-down passwords and sensitive data away from the laptop itself. It doesn't do much good if the thief manages to snag the laptop <em style>and</em>any information necessary to access what's stored on it.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Remember, you're in public</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> When wandering between public Wi-Fi networks, it's easy to pick up hitchhikers in the form of viruses, malware, and <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2043095/heres-what-an-eavesdropper-sees-when-you-use-an-unsecured-wi-fi-hotspot.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">data snoops</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Make sure you have up-to-date antivirus and antispyware software installed and running in the background. Keep your firewall up to block unsolicited connections to your PC. When connected to an unfamiliar network, it's sometimes best to be paranoid and treat everything like the enemy.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/secure-connection-100068430-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="301" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/secure-connection-100068430-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>Be sure your connection is secure before giving up sensitive data.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Going online for some last-minute holiday shopping or to check your bank account while you're on the road might seem like a good idea, but uploading personal information to the Internet while using public Wi-Fi is asking for trouble. If possible, wait until you're on a secured network to do the sensitive stuff.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">If you must perform an online transaction, be sure the web address begins with "https" and that there's a locked padlock icon in the corner of the browser window or in the address bar itself, indicating you're connected to a secure site.</p> <h2 style="font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Know what you have</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Finally, record your PC's precise specifications, including the make, model, and serial or service number. Having this information on hand is crucial for reporting a lost or stolen laptop—and perhaps recovering it.</p><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/service-tag-100068463-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="175" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/service-tag-100068463-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>This service tag on the bottom of an HP laptop contains all the vital information you might need, including its serial number.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif"> Check the bottom of the laptop for a service tag with barcodes on it. Write all this information down. Better yet, take a picture to keep on your phone. Be sure to note any distinguishing features as well. Stickers, scratches, dents, or additional physical features will help prove you're the rightful owner.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">You're going to be harried enough dealing with travel and family during the holidays. Follow these tips, and your laptop should accompany you safely and securely, no matter where you're headed.</p>

Keep your laptop safe and secure while you travel

Of course your laptop is coming with you on any holiday trips. It's your pride and joy—for many of us, it's practically an appendage...

Read more »