How Much Laptop Do You Need?

Computer users are increasingly turning to laptops as a secondary or even primary computer. Laptops, because of their smaller size, are usually more expensive than are desktops. Because of this, the old “give me the works” mentality can make for an expensive purchase. In addition, laptops come in so many different configurations and with so many different features. It is best to first figure out what it is you will be doing with the laptop and then match that usage to the right combination. The first decision to make is the Apple versus the PC. I have to disclose that … Continue reading →

Are You Shortening Your Laptop Battery’s Life?

One of the concerns that plague laptop owners is whether or not they should make an effort to run down their laptop computer battery to nothing before charging it back up again. Sometimes this just isn’t convenient, such as when you shut down your laptop at night and it only has 15 minutes of battery time left. That 15 minutes is certainly not enough to get your through the next day, but if you plus the laptop in to charge it, are you shortening your battery life? The brief answer is probably not, although there are some considerations to make. … Continue reading →

Greening up Your Technology

Going green can mean ensuring that your technology doesn’t hog electricity and other resources. A good part of your “footprint,” the amount of impact that you and your household have on the environment, can be affective my your technology. Here are some ways to green up your stuff without living like you are off the grid. Know your home theater As televisions get larger and the standard CRT gets replaced by plasma and LCD, and as surround sound speakers are added, the energy consumption on your home theater system goes up. Knowing which of these products have the least impact … Continue reading →

Does Shutting Off Your PC Daily Shorten It’s Life?

One of the greatest technology debates is not about cell phones causing cancer or Yahoo versus Google, but something more domestic. Does shutting down a PC on a daily basis shorten its life? Do you have to compromise saving energy for the health of your computer? Here is the answer. This question comes up so very frequently, although not usually as a question. There are users on both sides who adamantly believe (and share) that it is better to either leave your computer on all of the time or shut it down when you aren’t actively using it. The pro … Continue reading →

Ask the Blogger: Magnets and Computers

I recently received the following question from a reader. “I want to dispose of my computer, but I am worried that someone might be able to find my personal information on the computer if I donate it or throw it out. I heard that sticking a magnet on the hard drive will erase any data. Is this true?” Dear Reader, While it is true that magnets can be used to erase a hard drive, just any old household magnet won’t do the job. The only magnets that are powerful enough for such a task as usually found in laboratories or … Continue reading →

Identifying E-Mail Hoaxes

With the popularity of the Internet has come the popularity of the Internet or e-mail hoax. Some hoaxes are harmless but annoying, while others can even be dangerous. These hoaxes are very convincing and often very believable, so how can you protect yourself and your family? Read this article to learn more. What is an e-mail hoax? An e-mail hoax is a message that you get, usually forwarded by someone you know. It can also be called a urban legend. The purpose of the hoax can be to sucker you in to believing that something is true. Sometimes, the goal … Continue reading →

Microsoft Releases “Critical” and “Important” Security Patches

Yesterday, Microsoft released a total of four software patches to fix various security flaws. One patch in particular was labeled “critical” by Microsoft; it fixes a hole that could potentially let hackers take over a user’s computer. Victims would be at risk if they visited a website and installed a program that then downloaded malicious code. This “critical” patch affects only Windows 2000 users. A second released patch fixes security holes that affect Microsoft instant messaging programs. These patches were assigned the second highest rating by Microsoft, that of “important.” The security flaw here affects all PC users of MSN … Continue reading →

Boost Your Blog Traffic: The Informational Post

Seeking out information is what many web surfers love to do. If you can offer great information, you can be sure to boost the number of visits that your blog gets. An informational post is one in which you give information on a topic. It differs from an instructional post in that it informs rather than instructs. It is generally fact or new based, although writing opinions can sometimes work as well. It could take the form of a definition, such as what is a lentil? Or it can be some sort of longer explanation that takes the form of … Continue reading →

Boost Your Blog Traffic: The Instructional Post

Need some new ideas for your blog? Have you tried the instructional post? This is one of the most popular types of blog posts in that it generally beings in lots of traffic. But what is an instructional post? Read below to learn all about it, including some tips to get you started. An instructional post is a blog post that tells or teaches people how to do something or offers tips on how to do something better. It is the opportunity for visitors to your blog to learn something new. An instructional post can be on almost any topic. … Continue reading →

Computer Dictionary: F

It’s time to learn some more technical words and phrases. Have you been keeping up on the Computer dictionary here at the Computing Blog? We are up to F this time, and there are some interesting words and phrases to cover. False Acceptance This is a security term that is also known as a type II error. Basically, it takes an unauthorized person and identifies them as an authorized person on the computer network for example. Security people look for the False Acceptance Rate, or FAR, in a system to judge how safe it is and where improvements must be … Continue reading →