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December 2007
Here’s your answer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I have a great seat for watching the technology parade go by - in no small part because of the e-mails, letters and calls I get from you. They give me a pretty clear picture of what you like, what puzzles you and what you wonder about.
Today, as 2007 comes to a close, we’ll run down a few of the most popular questions of the past year - and the outlook for 2008.
What does the switch to digital television mean for me?
Stations are changing over to digital broadcasts in 2009, and you’ll start hearing a lot more about that. Many of you worry you’ll need a new television. Far be it from me to discourage the purchase of a nice new wide-screen TV. I have one and love it.
But you don’t have to have one. No matter how old your TV is, cable and satellite subscribers won’t even notice the change. Your receiver or cable box is - or will be capable of getting a digital signal and converting it to an analog signal your old television can use.
Even if you only have rabbit ears, digital receivers - they’ll look like a cable box - will let your old TV work just fine. Watch your newspapers and Web sites for information on how to get these receivers in coming months.
Will I have problems if I move to a Macintosh?
Apple sales are surging, especially to home users. Nowadays it is common to receive e-mails from PC users who are thinking of making the switch.
Some analysts say the rise in Apple’s fortunes comes from the popularity of iPhone and the iPod music player. That’s part of it, but - for many of my readers - it’s an escape from the virus-ridden world of the PC.
To answer the question, there are no real problems switching to a Macintosh. The menus and operation of a Mac isn’t all that different from using a Windows PC. You can even run Windows on a Mac, as well as the native Apple operating system.
How do I know if I need a new computer?
When I first started writing this column, back in 1993, I created Husted’s First Law of Computing. It still holds true today:
“Replace your computer when it can no longer do a satisfactory job at the chores you need it to do.”
How do I stop e-mail spam?
It’s almost impossible to stop every bit of spam. Even with anti-spam software, you are likely to get some amount of spam every day.
The major spammers are well-run businesses, often located in other countries. Professional level computer experts work at ways to avoid spam filters.
The only method I know that comes close to being universally effective is a cumbersome system called Challenge and Response. When someone who isn’t in your address book sends you an e-mail, the Challenge and Response software sends back a challenge in the form of an e-mail that asks the sender to copy down some letters he sees on the screen. Spammers won’t go to that trouble for millions of pieces of spam.
If you want to know more about this technology, or about some of the programs, try this Web site: http://tinyurl.com/265loj or this entry in Wikipedia: http://tinyurl.com/2lvyxa
Should I turn off my PC at night, or just let it sleep?
Nary a week goes by without someone worrying about this. The answer: It’s OK to leave your PC on all the time; it’s OK to turn it off when you go to sleep at night. No big deal either way.
Personally I turn off my PC at night or when I leave the house for an extended period. It cuts electricity use, even if only slightly, and it means the computer isn’t online waiting to be hijacked.
There’s another benefit. While desktop PCs are capable of running 24/7 with no harm, that’s based on everything working correctly. If the fan goes out, or if the cooling vent is clogged, a PC can overheat.
What’s the biggest change coming?
Mostly it’s evolutionary - faster computer chips, bigger and cheaper hard disks, faster and larger solid state memory chips, for instance. Each year you get a little more performance for the same or smaller price.
Probably the most important trend right now is toward home computer servers. A central computer handles all your back-up chores and serves as a store house for data and your music and video files.
Microsoft’s Home Server software is one effort in this direction. You can read about the product here
It’ll be fun to see the questions the new year will bring.
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Don’t join the club
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I belong to a club that meets once a year. We don’t keep membership lists, but we have no trouble recognizing each other - the vacant stare is a sure tipoff.
Our members meet in store aisles and at cash registers each Christmas Eve. We wander stores and malls with wild eyes and the desperate desire to find a few gifts and get the heck out of there.
Consider today’s column the annual newsletter of the Last Minute Holiday Shopping Club. I’ll try to offer ways to ease the pain.
Those of us who are into high-tech stuff have certain advantages. Tech items are readily available, and the stores that sell them are often located outside a busy mall and usually better stocked this time of year than those of other merchants.
You notice I said “stores” - there’s no time for online ordering now. The last minute is here, and it’s ticking madly away.
I’ll offer some specific gift examples, but first a bit of shopping philosophy: You never want your gift to look like you snatched it up in pure desperation. But you’re also dealing with limited time, and probably limited money by now. Finding something both welcome and affordable is challenge. Fear not; it can be done.
If I was holding a class for my club members, I’d write this on the blackboard in capital letters: ADDING PERCEIVED VALUE.
It’s a term I learned while working for a group of gift-oriented companies owned, at the time, by R.J. Reynolds. As the terms suggests, it’s a method of making something seem more expensive than it actually is.
Let’s say your recipient likes computer games. You would bundle a game with small items that fit the theme: a joystick, a new set of speakers, a manual, perhaps. You could even throw in some munchies to snack on while playing. Wrap it all up and you have a gift that totals more than its individual parts.
This works with almost any gift theme. For someone who enjoys digital photography, you could include a memory card for the camera, rechargeable batteries and even a book on photography - all in a small camera bag.
Another themed gift that is both practical and useful is a winter survival kit, for those times when the power is out. Start with a fluorescent lantern - and if your budget is tight just the lantern alone makes a fine gift.
Unlike a flashlight it throws a wide beam of light that makes it practical for reading or seeing while you cook on your gas stove. And, unlike camping lanterns that use fuel, it’s safe for indoor use.
Just as an example, you can find the Coleman Family-Size Retro Rechargeable Battery-Powered Lantern for $34.98 at Target. Or, at the same store and for about the same price, the Viatek Dynamo Lantern. Other stores have similar items.
Add a couple flashlights and batteries and you have a good basic survival kit. If you want to get fancy, you can add other items that would come in handy during a power outage, such as a small battery operated radio.
This is a terrific gift since you are certain to be thanked twice- once when it is opened and again, with great fervor, when it is needed.
I hope these ideas help you survive the (last-minute) holiday shopping season.
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The paradox of shopping for a geek
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you’re shopping for someone who is really into gizmos and high tech, keep one thing in mind: The last thing they want you to do is buy them a gadget.
You’d think it would be a perfect choice: a nice digital camera for someone who wants one; a new computer, MP3 player or external hard disk. You know they love that sort of stuff, so how can you miss?
Easy. Speaking as a guy who absolutely loves devices that beep, flash or plug in, let me explain. I know what I want. I’ve dreamed about it, read reviews and pondered the differences for months now. If you buy something blindly for me it is almost certain to be wrong. I’ll be polite and pleased on Christmas morning but will quickly go back to plotting how I can get the one I really want.
The easy way around that problem is to ask what I want. That works fine for some people. My wife, for instance, folds down pages on clothing catalogs as a hint. After all these years, I believe her when she says that is how she prefers things.
But some people still love surprises. So, is there a way to give the gadget-lover on your list a high-tech gift without picking the wrong thing?
Yes, but you may have to think outside the box.
Let me suggest gifts that will come as a surprise and yet have a good chance of being welcomed. You notice that I said “have a good chance.” Like any gift suggestions, there is the possibility you’ll be off the beam. But I promise the odds will be in your favor.
My first suggestion is to give them the world - almost literally. A portable shortwave radio opens a universe of new experiences. There’s a thrill in exploring the large commercial broadcasters that beam news, music and drama to anyone who cares to listen. Many foreign stations have English language broadcasts. Or someone learning a language can listen to native speakers to perfect prononuciation.
You can also listen to ham radio operators (I’m one myself) or sample the unique programming of what the radio community calls “pirate stations”. Usually operated illegally, these quirky broadcasters offer their own take on music and commentary.
The first step is to buy a terrific book called Passport of Worldband Radio. You can go to this Web address and read about the book and even order it. It contains reviews on almost every shortwave set made. There’s no pandering to advertisers so you won’t see puff reviews that look like advertisments.
My recommendation: Consider small battery powered shortwave radios made by Sony, Sangean or Grundig.
Plan on spending at least $100, and as usual you can go a lot higher for better models. Two shopping sites to try are are Ham Radio Outlet and another here that will take you directly to a selection of radios.
My next suggestion is affordable and almost certain to please a true techie. It’s a terrific magazine called “Make:Technology on your time.” Subscriptions are $35. It includes high tech projects ranging from the easy to those that seem designed for graduate engineers. All are fascinating reading and I’ve enjoyed the magazine without ever building a single of its projects.
You’ll find a link to the magazine’s site on this blog - in the listing of my favorite five Web sites.
Finally - and I borrowed this one from my wife, a veteran shopper if there ever was one - you can hardly ever go wrong with accessories. If the techie on your list has a digital camera consider memory cards or, for some cameras, a new lens. Memory cards are also handy for MP3 players and even fancy cellphones. Your iPod owner would probably love a new protective case or armband.
OK. I’m fired up now. I’m going shopping - for myself.
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Back up for a moment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Years ago I felt like a hypocrite when I urged readers to back up their computers. I didn’t do it very often myself.
In those days - unless you had one of the expensive external mass storage devices available then - back-ups were done on floppy disks. Backing up required feeding floppy disks into the machine as needed, like putting quarters in a slot machine. You had to sit in front of your computer the whole time. It was just too much trouble.
Nowadays, external hard drives are so inexpensive (I just bought a 250 gigabyte model for $100) that there’s really no excuse in failing to back up a computer. Heck, I even do it myself these days.
Today’s software pretty much automates the process. If you buy or own an external hard disk it will have its own back-up software. For instance, the $100 Maxtor One Touch 4 (I just bought it for my wife) has back-up software already loaded.
I recommend using the software that comes with your hard disk - with one exception: I really like the built-in back-up program that comes with Windows Vista. It works seamlessly. Windows XP has back-up software, but it’s not worth the trouble. And if you have the Home Edition of XP, you’ll need to install it from the CD. It does not install automatically when the Home Edition of XP is installed.
So far, this has been pretty simple. Get an external hard disk and use it. If that’s all you do, you’re in pretty good shape.
But for those of you with data that just can’t be replaced - maybe family photos, financial records, or the bookkeeping data for a small business - there are extra steps that lessen the chances of disaster.
Here’s why these extra steps may make sense. If a power surge or lightning strike hits your computer and the external hard disk is attached, odds are both the internal and external drives are gonna get fried. There goes your backup.
At home I use the next layer of protection by disconnecting the external hard disk after it backs up my machine. That’s more work. It means you have to start the backup myself, rather than let the automated software do it. Still, a lighting strike can’t hurt a disconnected external hard disk.
Even that’s not foolproof. If a tornado or a fire destroyed my house, I’d almost certaintly lose both my computer’s internal hard disk and the external one. The way around that: Online backup storage.
You can find several Web sites that store backups. You’d use the external hard disk but also store an extra back-up online. While some of these sites will store small amounts free, you’ll probably end up paying for the storage. I am not going to recommend a specific service since I haven’t used one myself in a while. But you can get a feel by visiting ibackup.com, usdatatrust.com or idrive.com. You can find more with Google.
Perhaps you like the idea of having a backup copy away from your home or business, but - for whatever reason - don’t want to use an online site. There is yet another way. Just buy two external hard disks and use one for a month, then swap it out for the second one for a month. Store the external drive that’s taking the month off with a family member, a trusted friend or at work. That gives you physical offsite storage.
Worst case, if disaster destroys your home, you have data that’s one month old.
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