Helpdesk
Q: As an older person I am having difficulty understanding the difference between tablets and computers. I have the iPad which I use mainly to read at night and do the occasional email or search. My laptop computer is where I use Word and Excel and do most of my emailing and store and edit my photos. My other computer is an old Dell desktop. Can you give me and other some clarity on the differences? And can you tell me what type computer to buy?
Ann D’Onofrio
A: Your iPad is a good example (and a good product to boot) of a tablet. It’s made to be used exactly as you are using it. It’s tiny, light and the keyboard is not a physical one, instead you punch out letters on the screen itself. Laptop computers are a bit more elaborate and do have a physical keyboard. They also tend to offer more storage and – unlike most tablets – can use conventional programs that are designed to be used on a regular PC. The desktop – well you own one – is a large machine that is the iconic PC that most of us used when we started computing. I think you are doing things right – using a tablet for less demanding tasks and a laptop for more complex work. So to answer your “what computer to buy” question – I’d stick with a tablet and a laptop.
Q: The other day I received a call (the number didn’t show on Caller ID). The caller told me that I have malicious files on my computer and he wanted to fix that. I told him that I’d take care of it myself and then hung up since I was suspicious. Did I do the right thing?
Jim McClain
A: You did just the right thing. In many (heck almost all) cases these calls are an attempt by a crook to gain access to your computer and, more importantly, to the information it contains.
Email Bill Husted at bhusted@bellsouth.net
Pick your poison: Suicidal squirrels that take up housekeeping inside a power transformer; ice storms; falling trees, or cars that plow into utility poles.
When it comes to the power going out at my house – despite the fact that I live in a well-developed suburban area – it sometimes feels as if I am living in a third world country. With no exaggeration at all, a month seldom passes without the lights going out. Most often it’s a brief interruption but, a few times a year, we experience an extended outage.
It starts with light – with being able to see. You should have at least two working flashlights. But that is just the start when it comes to shedding some light on your outage. Buy a battery powered camping lantern for each member of your household. I once recommended lanterns that used fluorescent bulbs, but those that use LED lights are even better. You’ll get more light and yet use less battery power. These lights are easy to find at most mass merchandisers and not very expensive. Unlike flashlights, they offer a wide swath of light that makes it easy to cook, read, and live a semi-normal life during an outage.
Since outages are sometimes caused by life-threatening events – storms for one – it’s important to keep up with the news and communicate with the outside world. You need to know if it’s safe to travel and to have the ability to call for help if things get really bad at your house. While I know you have a cellphone – and that’s a fine thing to have in an emergency – I also recommend that you have at least one old-fashioned wired telephone in your home. That old fashioned phone is likely to work, even when the power is out.
Getting the news is important during some outages. For instance, you’ll need to know if roads are closed, or if it’s dangerous to travel in general. I recommend a battery powered radio that offers both regular AM/FM broadcast bands as well as access to the National Weather Service’s weather radio. You can find radios like that at Radio Shack, or search Amazon and find a wide selection. There are also – and you’ll find them with a search on Amazon – battery powered televisions. We do fine at my house with just a radio. But they’re fine if having a TV is important to you. Before you select a battery-powered TV as your news source make sure that you live close enough to a broadcast station to get reception using the small TV’s whip antenna.
You’ll note that all these devices depend on batteries. I recommend that you stock up on regular alkaline batteries – plenty of them for each device. While rechargeable batteries are fine for some uses, you may not be able to recharge them during extended power outages. Regular alkaline batteries are a wonder. They can sit – unused for years – and still work just fine. Rechargeable batteries, on the other hand, gradually lose their charge even if unused.
As a final step, take a moment to think about your specific situation. Some families may have special needs that require additional steps. Or you may live in an area where severe outages occur frequently and last a long time. In that case you’ll need to modify your plan to suit your specific needs. But the important thing is to prepare.
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