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How To Mess Up Your Computer
Aside from actually drop-kicking it or smashing it with a sledge hammer, it's fairly difficult to actually "break" a computer. That said, there are a number of ways to render your computer just slightly more useful than a doorstop. Certain careless acts can cause crashes, freezes, painfully slow performance, loss of data or invasion of your privacy. Here's my list of Ten Stupid Things You Can Do To Mess Up Your Computer...
Continue reading "How To Mess Up Your Computer"...Online Health Records
Recently, a few organizations have begun offering an alternative to paper documentation of health records. Would you trust your personal health records to an online company?
Continue reading "Online Health Records"...Internet Collapse
"I've gotten some forwarded emails claiming that the Internet is doomed to collapse very soon, unless some big changes are made to the infrastructure. Is it true… is the Internet going to go "poof" and vanish in a cloud of greasy black smoke?
Continue reading "Internet Collapse"...Maps and Driving Directions
Thanks to online maps, there's no excuse for getting lost on the Internet. These excellent online mapping tools will get you from one place to another, and some are interactive. The new breed of online maps are aware of businesses, attractions, topography, and even traffic conditions along the way. Other online maps combine geography with fun, learning and social networking. Check out some of the best new online mapping tools here...
Continue reading "Maps and Driving Directions"...Cats and Dogs
Calling all cats, dogs, birds, furry friends and those who love them... here are a list of the best websites for and about pets. We'll cover pet health, training tips, travelling with Fido & Fluffy, and other cool pet sites you won't want to miss!
Continue reading "Cats and Dogs"...Baby Care
The excitement and joy of new life is often met with a little anxiety. Here are some of the best parenting resources on the web today, providing you with confidence, support and information you need to make the best choices in raising and shopping for your children...
Continue reading "Baby Care"...Peek You
Peekyou is a new website that pulls together information about people from a variety of sources. You can use PeekYou to help other people find your website, blog, profile, photos or other info. And oddly, you may already have a PeekYou profile, even if you've never visited the site...
Are You a Slacker?
I just got a press release, pitching a product that's supposed to help managers identify employees who are "wasting time" online during work hours. The pitch says this: "Contrary to popular belief, employees whom management considers the top employees are indeed many times the ones who waste the most time on their computers and online." My immediate thought was that they're looking at this COMPLETELY backwards...
Continue reading "Are You a Slacker?"...Daylight Savings Time
Daylight Saving Time (DST) arrives three weeks early this year (March 11), and will end one week later (Nov 4), to comply with revised Daylight Saving Time laws in many countries. Here's what you need to do to make sure your computer is aware of the new time keeping rules...
Continue reading "Daylight Savings Time"...Online Shopping
Have you experienced the frustration of making a purchase, only to find that very same item offered somewhere else at a lower price? Smart shoppers can eliminate this problem by using online comparison shopping tools and coupon finders before the purchase. Here's how...
Continue reading "Online Shopping"...Medical Advice Online
"There's a lot of medical information online, but I'm not sure what to trust. Where can I go to learn more about various drugs and medical conditions? I want information from real doctors, not some guy selling miracle cures."
Continue reading "Medical Advice Online"...What is Broadband?
"I see commercials on TV telling me to switch to broadband, but I'm not sure what that means. They talk about DSL lines, cable access, satellites and megabits, which further confuses me. I've had dialup access through AOL for years and I'm pretty happy with the service. What is broadband, and do I need it?"
Continue reading "What is Broadband?"...AOL for Free?
"I read somewhere that AOL is going to stop charging for their Internet service and make AOL access free. Is that true, and if so, are there any gotchas I should now about?"
Senior Citizens Online
"I'm a long-time computer user, almost 80 years young, but I'm no expert at Internet searching. Can you point me to some sites that are especially useful to senior citizens?"
Cancel Your Credit Card
My wallet was feeling a little too heavy, and it wasn't because of all the money stuffed in there. So I decided to lighten my load and cancel a credit card that I hadn't been using. Here's a great little shortcut I learned that might help you, too...
Passports Online
If you are a U.S. citizen and plan to travel outside the United States, you'll most likely need a passport. Recently I found this out the hard way. I arrived at Newark airport bound for Jamaica, and ended up in Phoenix Arizona the next day...
Continue reading "Passports Online"...Buying a Car, Selling a Car - Online
Are you thinking about buying a new car? Whether you're buying or selling, new or used, I'll point you to the websites you MUST visit before your trip to see the man in the polyester suit.
Continue reading "Buying a Car, Selling a Car - Online"...Eat Your Cookies
I often get mail from people who misunderstand or fear browser cookies, so I've written a a guide that tells you everything need to know about these tasty little critters. Read on for a closer look at the good, the bad, and the crumbly aspects of web browser cookies.
Continue reading "Eat Your Cookies"...Free Credit Reports Now Available
"I've heard some people say that I can get a free credit report online, but the websites I looked at want to charge me a fee. Is it true that I can get a free credit report once a year?"
Continue reading "Free Credit Reports Now Available"...Web Moments That Changed the World
The folks at the Webby Awards are celebrating their 10th anniversary by compiling a list of 10 Web Moments That Changed the World. Some of them I agree are significant, others are ho-hum. And certainly there are some biggies missing from the list. Tell me what you think!
Continue reading "Web Moments That Changed the World"...Worst of the Web
Too much time on your hands? Then you'll be pleased to learn that there are still plenty of websites that have ABSOLUTELY NO REDEEMING VALUE. My scholarly research into the best of the utterly useless in the online world is now yours for the taking.
Continue reading "Worst of the Web"...A Dark and Stormy Night
"I was just thinking back to the wonderful 'Bad Literature' parody that Saturday Night Live created years ago. Is there something like that in the online world?"
Continue reading "A Dark and Stormy Night"...Internet Innovators: Dave Taylor
Back in 1995-96 I worked for BoardWatch Magazine, covering the world of Bulletin Board Systems and the fledgling Internet. One of my favorite parts of that job was interviewing prominent netizens of the day. Some may boast about being self-made men, but Dave Taylor is one guy who could honestly call himself "net-made." Still very much active in online ventures, you may find his comments from "back in the day" quite interesting.
Continue reading "Internet Innovators: Dave Taylor"...Internet History
The history of computing and the story of how the Internet came to be are fascinating subjects to me. After doing some reading and research on early computers and Internet history, I've put together some excellent links that you can explore to learn more at your leisure.
Continue reading "Internet History"...The Nerds of Words
Everyone knows that Nail-Biting Refreshes The Feet. Oops! I meant to say that The Best Things In Life Are Free. How did that come out so wrong? I must have had my brain hooked up to that anagram generator too long...
Continue reading "The Nerds of Words"...Worst Problem on the Net: Stupid Users
According to a survey conducted at the Aunty Spam site, the worst problem on the Internet is stupid users. More than 600 respondents chose from among spam, spyware, phishing, identity theft, hacking, viruses, stupid users, and lost emails.
Continue reading "Worst Problem on the Net: Stupid Users"...Online Maps and Driving Directions
"Once upon a time, I had to drop off my kids at the airport. It's a 90 minute drive, or at least it's SUPPOSED to be a 90 minute drive. Without heaping too much embarrassment on myself, let's just say that I got lost on the way there AND back, and saw a lot more of the northeastern United States than was necessary. It could have gone a lot smoother, if I had only remembered to consult an online map first..."
Continue reading "Online Maps and Driving Directions"...Can I Delete This File?
"As a fairly new computer user, I find that deleting files is a problem for me. When I want to delete a file, I get a message that I should check to see what the file does before I delete it because I could cause a problem and there is no correction for it. Where do I go to find out what a specific file does?"
Continue reading "Can I Delete This File?"...Dictionary of Computer Terms?
"I'm wondering if there is a 'definitions' website that provides free definitions for people who do not know what every little computer term means. I consider myself something of a computer geek and I am the basic 'go to' in my company, but I have almost no knowledge of the technical aspects of computerdom. I just want a site where I can find a simple definition of a computer terms and how it pertains to what I am doing right now."
Continue reading "Dictionary of Computer Terms?"...Slow Downloads with Broadband
"I have broadband, and when I run a speed test, my system passes with numbers that approach the speed of light. However, when I download a file, the download speed always hovers around 500k. What am I overlooking?"
Continue reading "Slow Downloads with Broadband"...Computer shuts down by itself
"Lately my computer has been shutting down and rebooting for no apparent reason. When it restarts, it usually says it has recovered from a serious error. It SEEMS to happen when I am using my computer to listen to music."
Continue reading "Computer shuts down by itself"...CMOS checksum error
"When I boot up, I get a "CMOS checksum error" message and I must press F1 to continue or DELETE to enter Setup. How can I solve this problem?"
Continue reading "CMOS checksum error"...Turning F-Lock key ON automatically
On certain Microsoft keyboards, the function keys (F1, F2, F3, etc.) will not work normally unless you press the F-Lock key. Arrogantly flouting decades of keyboard convention, Microsoft markets "Natural" and "Multimedia" and "Office" keyboards that have the F-keys reassigned to common Microsoft Office actions. Here's how to fix it...
Continue reading "Turning F-Lock key ON automatically"...What is ASCII Art?
Have you heard the term "ASCII art" and wondered what that's all about? Long before the advent of the Web and all of its glittering graphics, people were creating computer graphics of a different sort that required no special hardware or software to view. This ASCII art can be sent by e-mail without encoding or attachments because it's composed only of plain text characters.
Continue reading "What is ASCII Art?"...Who was the first Internet celebrity?
Long before the Numa Numa guy and the Star Wars Kid became the stuff of legend, the Internet was making unwitting celebrities of ordinary people. Let's meet four people who got a lot more than their 15 minutes of fame, and experienced the power of the Internet to change a life forever. You never know... the next cyber celebrity may be YOU. Read on!
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