Thursday, June 28, 2012

What Should I Do With My Old Computer?

Recently, I decided it was time for me to get a new computer. My iMac was going on six years old, and while it still surfed the web and typed up documents fine, it was more than a little slow when it came to photo or video editing, which are some of my hobbies. I saved up the money and will soon be the owner of a new MacBook Pro with Retina display. The question I had to ask myself, and that I've been asked by others many times before is what to do with the old computer?

There are definitely options. First, think of anyone you might know who could use it. Anyone who doesn't have a computer at home who might like one? What about local non-profits? Is it still usable and would it be the kind of donation they'd accept? Churches, clubs, etc. can sometimes (but not always) accept donations of old electronics. If you do give your computer away, make sure it's wiped clean of your information first. There are many ways to do this depending on the kind of computer you have, but if you're not familiar with the process, take it to your local computer repair facility. Better safe than sorry with your personal information.

If you can't think of anyone who'd want it, you can try selling it. While most computers devalue quickly enough that you won't be able to get much for them, there are people who will buy old and even broken computers to use for parts. Mind you, you won't usually get much for it, but a little bit of extra cash never hurts. Again, be careful to wipe your computer of your old data, but it's not uncommon to see people selling their computers at garage sales, eBay or even Craigslist.

If niether of those options appeal to you, you can always recycle it. Please, no NOT just throw it in the trash! Many (if not all) of the parts of computers do not biodegrade, and they also contain some things that can be bad for the environment if they break or leak. Call your local computer repair shop and/or recycling facility to see if they accept old computers for recycling. Sometimes there are fees involved, but making sure your compuer stays out of the dump is worth it.

Practical Tip of the Day:
No matter which way you choose to dispose of your old computer, make sure you have a backup of your information before you wipe it off your old computer. This will ensure that even though you have a new machine, you don't have to start over with all your files as well.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

What's the Best Case for a Laptop?

In short, whatever you want. In long, it depends on where you'll use your laptop, what kind of lifestyle you have, how much you want to spend, and how much you worry about protecting it. There are thousands of different kinds of laptop cases and bags out on the market now, and picking the right one can be difficult.

Where will you use your laptop? Will it only be going from home to the office? Do you travel a lot? Do you live in a sandy and/or wet area? Have kids? Taking your environment into account can help weed out some styles of cases. For example, for a business professional who only goes to the office and home, a briefcase style bag might be best. The computer is unprotected when it's outside of the bag, but the likelihood of something damaging the computer in this case is low. On the other hand, for a college student, a neoprene sleeve or hard plastic case might be best as they give more protection. Some students even use both!

Want a designer case? A lot of major designer brands are making laptop bags now. Laptop bags, as opposed to cases, offer no protection when the computer is outside the bag, and some only offer limited protection inside the bag as well. On the other hand, you can usually get a clear or colored plastic case for less than a fancy bag, and since these "shells" stay on your computer all the time, they offer maximum protection from drops and impact. If you're concerned about being caught in the rain, neoprene sleeves are slim cases your laptop can go into that offer water resistance. (Note: They're not water proof, just resistant.) Sorry there's no clear cut answer for this one, but hopefully using these questions you can narrow your search down reasonably enough that it's no longer overwhelming.

Practical Tip of the Day:
In addition to protecting the outside of your laptop, they also sell screen films to prevent scratches on your laptop's screen and keyboard covers. Keyboard covers help keep liquid and dirt out of your keyboard, the easiest spot for something to enter your laptop. As always, check out reviews for cases and bags online before you buy, and if you're extra concerned, consider either or both of these extra-protectors.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

How Can I Keep My Pet From Chewing My Cables?

New puppy or kitten chew through your $40 HDMI cable or your $80 charger for your laptop? It's not uncommon for young animals to "mouth" objects, but it can be expensive. Instead of getting rid of the newest member of your household, try these inexpensive and animal friendly tips to getting them to stop chewing on your cables, or anything else for that matter.

First, try simple discipline. A spray bottle of water, for example, is a good place to start for getting your pet to stop doing anything. Just make sure that if you're using a spray bottle you already have, it didn't have household cleaners in it previously. The next step of escalation is to try putting something bitter or sour on the cables. Lemon juice is the most commonly used variation of this. Simply rub or spray it onto the cable, making sure you're not getting it on any of the connection ends; The acid from the lemon juice could damage them.

If that doesn't work, spicy is the next step. Pet stores often sell a variation of this for this exact purpose. Generally made from peppers, it's possible to do at home, but please be careful about the strength of the spice, be cautious about allergies for your pets, and make sure the pepper isn't poisonous to your pet. For these reasons, I generally recommend people buy the store brand as they've been tested for all of these things before being sold on the market. If that doesn't work, simply try and keep your cables covered for now. Your young pet will grow out of this phase quickly, so don't give up on it.

Practical Tip of the Day:
One tip for keeping cats off surfaces is to put aluminum foil on it. (Cats hate the stuff evidently.) DON'T do that with your cables! Aluminum can carry an electrical current, so if your pet bites through the aluminum and into a cable carrying electricity it could do serious, or even fatal, damage to them.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

What are Podcasts?

When people first get an MP3 player, (click here if you don't know what that is) they first ask the inevitable question "So now what?" I usually advise people to start with the music they already own, and after that they can buy music, audio books, movies, TV shows... but is there anything in this digital world you can listen to for free?

One of my favorite things to show people is the vast and eclectic world of podcasts. One reason is that podcasts are free! Yay, free stuff! The second is that you can find podcasts about just about any subject you're interested in. Gardening? Check. Cars? Check. Politics, games, parenting, nutrition, news, money. Check to all of those! Just looking for some light entertainment on your morning walk? Many radio shows like NPR also have their radio episodes available as free podcasts as well.

The third reason I enjoy showing people podcasts is because, once they become well versed with using their computer, they can make their own podcasts. Podcasts are not only free to make, but they can also be fairly inexpensive to distribute. There are a decent number of options for getting your podcast out to the world, more than I have time to list here, but they can range for free to expensive based on what you're looking to do.

Practical Tip of the Day:
In addition to all the types of podcasts I listed above, many colleges and universities are now recording their lectures or parts of their lectures and releasing them for free in podcast form. Ever wondered what economics at Yale was like? You can download either a video or audio version of that class to listen to whenever you'd like. Podcasts are a great way to spend long commutes or vacation travel time!

Monday, June 11, 2012

What's the Difference Between Apple's New Laptops?

Yesterday was Christmas for Apple-nerds. WWDC's (World Wide Developer's Conference) keynote address is traditionally a time when major releases are announced, and yesterday was no exception. While we are missing Apple's late former-CEO Steve Jobs, Tim Cooke did a great job of keeping the excitement going and expertly showcasing all of the new products.

The biggest announcement was the new laptop lineup. Apple updated their MacBook Air notebooks ("Notebooks" and "laptops" are synonymous when it comes to computers,) as well as their MacBook Pro notebooks as well. The real surprise though was the announcement of a new laptop line called the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Retina Display is Apple-ese for "super awesome high quality display." Without getting technical about it, the Retina Display manages to get twice as much detail in the same size screen as the normal MacBook Pro.

Apple actually has a very nice comparison chart on their website (right here) that lets people see a side-by-side comparison of their computer lineups. The only problem I've noticed is that after a line or two most people's eyes glaze over with all the technical jargon, so here's the "quick and dirty" difference. The MacBook Air is good for general use: web browsing, document editing, light photo or video work. If you do more than just basic video, audio or photo work, or just really want a bigger display, consider going to the MacBook Pro. If you're a professional videographer, musician, photographer or anything else that requires a high-powered machine (web designers, I'm looking at you!) or if you just really want that Retina Display, go with the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

Practical Tip of the Day:
If you're considering getting one of the new Apple notebook computers, also consider getting AppleCare, their warranty program. People generally shy away from any kind of warranty program because, well, honestly, they're usually a rip-off, but AppleCare is actually quite helpful and I buy it for all of my Apple products. It's usually cheaper than even one repair on the computer, covers you anywhere in the world so you're still safe even while travelling, and also gives you unlimited call support. The only caveat is that it's a warranty program, not an insurance program which is illegal for a manufacturer to sell on their own products. This means that AppleCare will cover anything that goes wrong with your computer that's not due to outside forces like drops, liquid spills, etc. I still consider it a great deal though and buy it on all of my Apple products.

Friday, June 8, 2012

How Should I Clean My Keyboard?

Dusters and putties and air, oh my! With so many different ways to clean your computer's keyboard, which way's best? The keyboard is a very important part of your computer, and while they're not terribly expensive, you should clean it regularly to ensure it operates smoothly and has a nice, long life.

Look down at your keyboard. Unless you're using a keyboard with low-profile keys (like Apple uses on their keyboards nowadays) you're likely going to see a lot of gunk under or between your keys. The first step I usually recommend to cleaning your keyboard is just turning it upside down and giving it a little shake. Not hitting it or shaking violently, but a little shake while upside down can help dislodge loose bits.

If your keyboard still has particles of stuff in it, I recommend blowing some canned air into it. Canned air is sold in most electronic stores or departments, and really is just canned, compressed air. Hold the can as upright as you can and blow air between the keys. This usually will help dislodge more stuck-on pieces, and if you give your keyboard another shake you'll likely get more bits coming out.

Note: Do NOT use your canned air while the bottle is inverted. One of the chemicals used in the canning process can flash-freeze items, and therefore you should use caution to keep it inside the can. This is also why your can will get cold after you've used it for awhile.

Practical Tip of the Day:
Noticing the letting on your keyboard is wearing off? Do you use hand lotions? Some lotions can react with the natural oils of your skin to make a slightly acidic oil that then transfers onto your keyboard when you type, slowly eating the lettering away! The best way to prevent this is to either A) Make sure your hands are completely dry after using lotion and before typing. B) Change lotions. or C) Use a plastic keyboard cover. Keyboard covers sit on top of your keyboard helping keep stuff off and out of it. Using a keyboard cover will also make it so you don't have to clean your keyboard as often!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

How Does Wikipedia Work?

As any teacher will tell you, Wikipedia isn't a citable source of information despite studies showing it's as accurate as the Encyclopedia Britannica. There are plenty of stories of Wikipedia pages being altered with false information, but is it really that bad? Millions of people visit Wikipedia, but just who writes all this stuff? To understand these questions, and to find answers, we must first learn how Wikipedia works.

Wikipedia is a large website that is filled with volunteer generated and maintained information about just about anything you can imagine. ("Wikipedia" is a portmanteau of "wiki," meaning "quick" and "encyclopedia.") Anyone can, anonymously if they'd like, create or edit a Wikipedia page. When you visit a Wikipedia page, next to the header for a subtopic is a link that lets you edit the text in that subtopic.

So how does it maintain reliability? Because it is so easy to edit, people can easily correct mistakes and mark instances where information may be misleading, incorrect, unverified, or biased. In cases where a site becomes vandalized, there are people with special privileges within the Wikipedia community that can prevent anonymous editing for a period of time and can block certain users if they are the ones responsible for the vandalizing

When you visit a Wikipedia page, you'll often see notes that will warn you if a particular statement needs citation, if someone believes it's biased, etc. Reading the superscript notes (smaller words written in the top right corner of another word) can help you ensure that you're reading cited, reviewed works.

Practical Tip of the Day:
If you do need to write a paper, or simply want to look at the sources used in a particular article, there's a section at the bottom of each Wikipedia article entitled "References." These will list the resources used in the article. Similarly, you can click on a superscript number at the end of a statement to view which work was referenced for that information. References may be electronic or print.