Question: I see script error pop-up messages all the time. I’ve tried all the cures offered when I do a search using Google. No help. I hope you will help me get rid of these pesky pop ups. — Keith Allum
Answer: It’s a super common problem but the only fix I’ve ever known for it — and it has worked for me every time — is to go to advanced settings for your browser and disabling script debugging. If that’s what you tried and it didn’t work, it is both a first for me as well as one of the many times I’ve been stumped. I have never looked for another solution since — by disabling debugging — the thing can’t find script errors so it can’t trigger a pop-up. I’m sorry if you tried that and it doesn’t work and I wish I knew some other cure but I don’t. Maybe a reader will have another suggestion. If so, I’ll print it in a future column.
There’s plenty of advice online — when it comes to shopping for high-tech gadgets such as computers, HDTVs and digital cameras.
The trouble is: Whom do you trust?
Of course, I hope you trust me. But the problem is real for buyers. If you do extensive research about any given product you’ll find conflicting opinions, all of them from people who claim to be real experts. And with the growth of blogs, there’s a frightening new trend that makes blog advice suspect: Many manufacturers offer cash or products in exchange for a blog mention. Truth is that, since my column often appears online, I’ve been on the receiving end of those kinds of offers. (I hope you’d figure that I turned them down, and I did).
So you need to be careful out there. After all, even true and honest experts can disagree. That confusion of opinions can be unsettling when you rely on experts for advice.
So, whom do you trust?
I suggest Ferdinand Magellan. You may think of him as the Portuguese explorer who led the first successful attempt to circumnavigate the earth. But I think of him as the great navigator.
Skilled navigation offers the best solution to finding your way through conflicting opinions on a device you are researching.
Old-time navigators found the true course using triangulation. Checking the position of just one star gives you a rough notion of where you are. When you use two stars, you get a lot closer to your true position. And with three stars — triangulation — you can sail such an accurate course that you avoid the reefs and dangers beneath the surface.
OK. What the heck does that mean when we’re talking about buying a computer or a TV?
It means checking several stars, several sources. When you find agreement from several reputable sources, chances improve that the advice is good. That’s triangulation.
Let’s take this navigation problem step by step.
It’s important to use reliable stars when navigating the commercial waters. I give little weight to websites I’ve never heard of, or to magazines that seem to mostly tout the products that they also advertise.
I lean hard on sources such as:
Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org); CNet (www.cnet.com); Clark Howard (www.clarkhoward.com); PC World (www.pcworld.com); Digital Photography Review (www.dpreview.com).
You’ll find your own sites and, over time, and learn which ones you can trust.
Once you’ve selected your sources, it is time for the triangulation. Check several sites and look for a consensus, good or bad.
More online sources
Once you have some good candidates for your purchase, type the exact product name into Google. You’ll almost certainly get pages and pages of results, often from relatively unknown sites. You’ll also probably find comments from users.
Take individual comments with a grain of salt. Don’t ignore them, but don’t put a lot of weight in a single opinion from someone you’ve never met.
What you’re looking for is common ground. See? It’s still triangulation. Filter out the general comments like “I loved the Acme electronic back scratcher” or “that back scratcher is horrible.”
That sort of comment isn’t helpful. It’s possible to get a lemon, so scattered general remarks shouldn’t be given much weight.
Instead, look for specific comments on features. Pay attention if, for instance, several comments say the company doesn’t honor its warranty, or that the back scratcher tends to short out. If a lot of people experience the same thing, we can start believing there’s a real problem. On the other hand, if almost everyone loved the way it worked, you’re beginning to plot a course toward a purchase.
Try some navigating the next time you’re tech shopping. If you do it right, you’ll be safe from falling off the edges of the earth into shopper’s purgatory.
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