Homage to Technology

Computer Care: Thanks for technology, which makes our lives better


By Arthur Glazer
arthur@glazerthepctech.com


POSTED: December 11, 2010 1:00 a.m.

As the first decade of the new millennium draws to a close, I reflect back on all of the good things I have: health, happiness and my family top the list. But there is more. Without technology, I would not be happy.

I am grateful to be living at a time when technology abounds; when one innovation is topped by the next. Most likely those who lived in Edison's time felt the same way. Electricity was new to the world. There was the telephone and the light bulb. It must have been quite an exciting time to be alive, as it is today.

Twenty years ago, no one had a cell phone and all but a few had a personal computer. What will the next 20 years bring? I often wonder.

So I give thanks to technology and to those who were inspired to create the devices we live with and couldn't live without.

Einstein once said that imagination was more important than knowledge. Without the imagination of the following people, where would we be today?

Charles Babbage was a British mathematician who in 1856 came up the concept of programmable machines. Then 80 years later, along came another Brit, Charles Turing, who built a computer-like device that cracked German codes in World War II.

It was John Eckert and John Mauchly who built E.N.I.A.C., the original computer in 1946. It filled a huge room and took a crew to run it. It was the first, and the first to become obsolete. After 10 years, there was a better mousetrap. Thanks guys.

This brings us to the era of the personal computer. It was Ed Roberts who designed the Altair 8800 in 1975. It sold for a mere $400 and came in kit form. They were not the kits of today. You had to solder the motherboard yourself. You got a box of diodes, capacitors and transistors with a sheet of instructions. Thanks, Ed.

I also feel thanks are due to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniac at Apple for coming up with the Graphical User Interface that began with the Mac in 1976, and is used by most computers today.

In 1975, the partnership of Bill Gates and Paul Allen created Microsoft and Windows. I thank Microsoft for coming out with Windows, especially Version 7. The world needed something to replace its predecessor Vista, in a bad way.

Then came alternative operating systems.

It was Linus Tovalds, a Finnish graduate student who came up with a thesis of Linux, a portable operating system in 1990. It is now an open-source (free) alternative to Windows or Mac the world over. There are dozens of distros or distributions, as they are called.

This brings me to Vic Hayes, the father of wi-fi. Without him, even laptops would still be tethered to a cable. Thanks, Vic.

What a bunch of brainiacs these guys were and are.

Alternative browsers like Firefox, Safari, Opera, and then Chrome came about. We were no longer forced to use Internet Explorer.

Google appeared. I love Google. I give thanks for the opportunity to look up anything, at any time and get as many answers as I want.

Everything seemed to happen quickly after that. Windows evolved. Wireless was omnipresent. Everyone had a Web page, then a blog. They instant-messaged. They texted. They Twittered. They posted comments to their profile.

I am not grateful for Facebook. Frankly, I could live without it. It's nice, but really, I don't need it.

What I am grateful for is the ability to block certain entries from my Facebook home page and the ability to delete things I had written in haste.

I like my desktop. After all, I built it. But I really like my laptop. So I give thanks to those who take big things and make them smaller. I am grateful to be able to check my email in bed or at the kitchen table, should I desire.

I am extremely thankful for my spam filter. Free enterprise and freedom of speech are great, but I get a ton of junk email. At least this way I don't have to look at it.

Finally, I am grateful to my wife, Teressa, who encourages me every two weeks to come up with yet another column and my daughter, Rachel, who proofreads them for me. It is truly a family effort.

Also, I am grateful for the opportunity The Times has given me over the past three years by providing a forum for my thoughts.

I thank you my readers, for letting me share them with you.

So where would we be without all of those inventions and innovations? We'd be giving the postal service more business - we'd all be writing letters, reading actual books and newspapers. Landlines, pay phones and typewriters - anyone remember them?

Sure, we could live without all of the technological advances. But who wants to?

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns

Computer Care: Plenty of bargains to be found shopping online

	By Arthur Glazer arthur@glazerthepctech.com POSTED: November 27, 2010 1:00 a.m. It's the time of year for friends, family and spending lots of money. Oh yeah, the economy. Well, you can still get those electronic gifts and not spend all of your hard-earned cash. Shop online this year where there are plenty of deals. A few years ago, I spent a Black Friday at an outlet mall at my wife's insistence. She usually makes good decisions, but that is something I shall not experience again - not even with a gun to my head. Instead, now I shop on my computer. I get what I want, spend less time and less money doing it. Retailers know we are careful with what little spendable cash we have in this fragile economy. With this in mind, they are presenting us with many options for discounted purchases. I have a half dozen or so favorite online retailers that I frequent year round for electronics. Recently I have seen drastic reductions in items like laptops, desktops, monitors and other related items. You can find deals on sites like newegg.com, tigerdirect.com, overstock.com, amazon.com, techbargains.com and even eBay, for a "Buy it Now," when you don't want to wait for an auction to end. An advantage to online shopping is that those sites all list consumer comments about the products and the retailer. You get to see what others thought of the laptop you're about to drop $500 on. Aside from computers and monitors, I‘ve found good prices on e-book readers, GPS devices, cell phones, printers, software and gadgets galore. The e-book readers, or Kindle-type devices, are going for about $150, some for even less. It depends on the size and type of connection. Amazon has many in the used market for less. If you want a free reader, Amazon will let you download one. Look for Free Reader for PC on their site. It also has a rotating choice of free e-books for download. GPS devices have come down in price. If you don't have on in your car yet, check them out. I found a Garmin Nuvi and a Magellan Roadmate both for about $85 online. IPads are big this year. Apple usually won't discount anything, but again, Amazon has many used models. Don't picture a beat-up, half-broken device. I've bought some "like-new" electronics from them and have had no problems at all. Like Kindles, IPads vary in price with size, whether they have just Wi-Fi or 3G as well. New ones start at about $500. Last year's phenomenon, the netbook, is still around and is even cheaper than ever. Just be aware that you get what you pay for, especially with these subcompact mini laptops. They have 8-to-10-inch screens, weak processors, low-capacity batteries, small hard drives and keyboards that don't accommodate chunky fingers. They also don't have an optical drive. That means no CD/DVD. But if you just need it for note taking at school, it may be for you. They can be found for less than $300. Alternatively, laptops or desktops can be a better deal for about the same price. They now range from $300 to $2,000 and more, but many go for less than $800. You can get an Acer, Toshiba, HP or a Dell for less than $500, with some even less than that. Some are 64-bit and now all have Windows 7 installed. As I've mentioned in the past, Dell has a refurb section on its website with a huge inventory. At the high end, for little more than $1,000 or so, you can get an 18-inch laptop with a new generation i5 or i7 Intel processor, loaded with memory and a huge hard drive. The best deal I've come across is actually from Microsoft. The folks in Redmond are currently not only discounting some versions of Office Suites, but Windows as well. You can get a Family Pack of Windows 7, good for three computers for only $149.99 from their site, and they'll throw in a free wireless Cisco router as well. Usually you can only install Windows on one system and it costs about $120 per machine. So yes, this is a great deal. They may pull it at any time so check it out soon. If you want a new computer but don't want to buy one, get this updated operating system instead. It's everything XP never was and all Vista wanted to be. It's the big brother that did well. Win 7 is a great OS with some nice enhancements and is very smart and extremely fast. Online shopping is safe as long as you are cautious. Look for the "https" in the address bar before you enter your credit card info, or call the site instead. So fire up your PC and go shopping online. Google whatever it is you're looking for and do some comparison shopping. Use cnet.com for some unbiased reviews to help you decide. Even with expedited shipping, you'll often spend less online than at the mall. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns. POSTED: November 27, 2010 1:00 a.m It's the time of year for friends, family and spending lots of money.

Digital Cameras

Computer Care: New high-tech cameras offer more options at lower price

By Arthur Glazerarthur@glazerthepctech.com

	POSTED: November 13, 2010 1:00 a.m. Digital single lens reflex cameras, or DSLRs, as they are called, have become ubiquitous, even for the novice photographer. They used to cost up to $1,500 as once did a good laptop. Now both can be had for under a grand. You can still spend a couple of thousand dollars for either one, but unless you need professional-grade quipment, it isn't necessary. Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Canon and Panasonic and others have recently come out with DSLRs that are affordable and put the point-and-shoot genre to shame. These subthousand dollar cameras can be as easy to use as a point and shoot in auto-mode or as tricky as an SLR and just as creative in manual mode. There are actually more modes than you can shake a memory stick at. Aside from the standard Auto, Manual, Shutter and Aperture Priority modes, there are settings for portraits, sports, night time, panoramas, macro (extreme close-up) and much more. The plethora of buttons that cover the top and back of many models, have been moved to easy-to-navigate menus in the camera software. Only the bare essential buttons were left in most cases. Unlike the cheaper point and shoot models, the DSLRs have interchangeable lenses. Most come with a 18-55 mm or so zoom lens that cover a good basic range for most photographers. Depending on what brand camera you have and what you want to shoot, lenses can cost from under $100 to well over $1,000. Nikon, for example offer vibration reduction in their lenses. You can get a less expensive lens without the VR, but at a high zoom, any hand shaking can blur your photo. Also note whether or not the zoom lens offers auto focus. Sony and Pentax put their anti-shake technology in the camera instead of the lens. This makes their lenses less expensive and makes any lens that's made for that camera anti-shake. Many of the new cameras have a guide mode that takes you by the hand, if that's what you need to take good pictures. A lot of the newer models have high definition video, making the camera a two-in-one. In the past movie modes existed, but they were of a lesser quality. They were also hard to keep in focus, especially in low light situations. High def has changed all that. The LCD panels on the rear of the cameras have gone from 2 inches to 2.5 inches and now to 3 inches in most models. The color is vibrant and sharp. Some even have articulating rear panels, making it possible to take a picture holding the camera over your head or at your waist and still see what you're shooting. Some of these LCDs offer live view, which allows you to see your subject; others just provide device information such as exposure settings and menus. My personal preference is toward Sony and their alpha line of cameras. They are all affordable, especially if you get a used or refurbished model. Starting with the alpha, or a100 a few years back, they have since added the a200, a 250 and a300. Models higher than that are pro models for a lot more money. The a33 and a55 which offers a new type of technology just came out this summer. They are about 14 and 16 megapixels, respectively. Technically not a DSLR, they use translucent mirrors that light passes through instead of bouncing off it. The cameras shoot photos faster than ever; HD video is included and the cameras are smaller and lighter than previous models. Both of those cost less than $1,000 new, with a zoom lens. Nikon has a similar model, the D3100 and Canon has the T2i, but they lack the new technology the Sony has. Let's talk maintenance for a moment. One bad thing you can do is to toss your camera in your bag without a case, especially the point-and-shoots. The metal that covers the lens is wafer-thin and can be damaged by your cell phone, glasses, etc. Dust can also kill it. Invest in an $8 case. It will save an $80 camera. Check the batteries. If they are not fresh, your camera may not turn on. Make sure to take them out if the camera is not in use for long periods. Batteries can leak and ruin your camera. By using rechargeable batteries you can save a small fortune. They cost more initially, but can last for years. Does your camera have a viewfinder? By using it instead of the LCD panel, your battery life will be extended significantly. Consider updating your camera's firmware if you are having issues with it. Go to the manufacturer's website to download a small file and then install it in the camera with the USB cable that came with it. If you use one of those point-and-shoot cameras and feel stymied by their lack of options, consider a DSLR and let your creativity flow. The images that you can produce will be phenomenal.

Digital single lens reflex cameras, or DSLRs, as they are called, have become ubiquitous, even for the novice photographer. They used to cost up to $1,500 as once did a good laptop. Now both can be had for under a grand.

You can still spend a couple of thousand dollars for either one, but unless you need professional-grade quipment, it isn't necessary.

Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Canon and Panasonic and others have recently come out with DSLRs that are affordable and put the point-and-shoot genre to shame. These subthousand dollar cameras can be as easy to use as a point and shoot in auto-mode or as tricky as an SLR and just as creative in manual mode.

There are actually more modes than you can shake a memory stick at. Aside from the standard Auto, Manual, Shutter and Aperture Priority modes, there are settings for portraits, sports, night time, panoramas, macro (extreme close-up) and much more.

The plethora of buttons that cover the top and back of many models, have been moved to easy-to-navigate menus in the camera software. Only the bare essential buttons were left in most cases.

Unlike the cheaper point and shoot models, the DSLRs have interchangeable lenses. Most come with a 18-55 mm or so zoom lens that cover a good basic range for most photographers. Depending on what brand camera you have and what you want to shoot, lenses can cost from under $100 to well over $1,000.

Nikon, for example offer vibration reduction in their lenses. You can get a less expensive lens without the VR, but at a high zoom, any hand shaking can blur your photo. Also note whether or not the zoom lens offers auto focus.

Sony and Pentax put their anti-shake technology in the camera instead of the lens. This makes their lenses less expensive and makes any lens that's made for that camera anti-shake.

Many of the new cameras have a guide mode that takes you by the hand, if that's what you need to take good pictures.

A lot of the newer models have high definition video, making the camera a two-in-one. In the past movie modes existed, but they were of a lesser quality. They were also hard to keep in focus, especially in low light situations. High def has changed all that.

The LCD panels on the rear of the cameras have gone from 2 inches to 2.5 inches and now to 3 inches in most models. The color is vibrant and sharp. Some even have articulating rear panels, making it possible to take a picture holding the camera over your head or at your waist and still see what you're shooting.

Some of these LCDs offer live view, which allows you to see your subject; others just provide device information such as exposure settings and menus.

My personal preference is toward Sony and their alpha line of cameras. They are all affordable, especially if you get a used or refurbished model. Starting with the alpha, or a100 a few years back, they have since added the a200, a 250 and a300. Models higher than that are pro models for a lot more money.

The a33 and a55 which offers a new type of technology just came out this summer. They are about 14 and 16 megapixels, respectively. Technically not a DSLR, they use translucent mirrors that light passes through instead of bouncing off it.

The cameras shoot photos faster than ever; HD video is included and the cameras are smaller and lighter than previous models. Both of those cost less than $1,000 new, with a zoom lens.

Nikon has a similar model, the D3100 and Canon has the T2i, but they lack the new technology the Sony has.

Let's talk maintenance for a moment. One bad thing you can do is to toss your camera in your bag without a case, especially the point-and-shoots. The metal that covers the lens is wafer-thin and can be damaged by your cell phone, glasses, etc. Dust can also kill it. Invest in an $8 case. It will save an $80 camera.

Check the batteries. If they are not fresh, your camera may not turn on. Make sure to take them out if the camera is not in use for long periods. Batteries can leak and ruin your camera.

By using rechargeable batteries you can save a small fortune. They cost more initially, but can last for years.

Does your camera have a viewfinder? By using it instead of the LCD panel, your battery life will be extended significantly.

Consider updating your camera's firmware if you are having issues with it. Go to the manufacturer's website to download a small file and then install it in the camera with the USB cable that came with it.

If you use one of those point-and-shoot cameras and feel stymied by their lack of options, consider a DSLR and let your creativity flow. The images that you can produce will be phenomenal.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician who lives in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly.

Combat body fatigue while on computer

Computer Care: Take precautions to ease computer eye, body strain

By Arthur Glazerarthur@glazerthepctech.com
	POSTED: October 30, 2010 1:00 a.m.

If you're reading this online, chances are you are straining your eyes and probably your neck and back as well. If you're holding the paper while reading this, your turn will come later when you check your e-mail. According to Dr. Marc Grossman, O.D., more than 50 percent of computer users experience eye strain, headaches and blurred vision from staring at the computer screen for hours at a time. There is a condition called CVS, Computer Vision Syndrome, where one's sight is light-sensitive with blurred vision. The size of words often changes. All this is due to improper use of the computer monitor. It's not just eye strain, either. Computer users often complain of back, neck and hand aches, sometimes leading to carpal tunnel syndrome. The best prevention to all this is frequent breaks, good lighting and proper posture. You should sit upright in an adjustable and comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor. Your shoulders should be relaxed and your monitor should be about 16-20 inches in front of you, according to folks at the Mayo Clinic. To reduce fatigue, tap the keyboard gently with your forearms parallel to the floor. During your breaks, do some stretching exercises. Relax your neck and shoulders and close your eyes. Take a deep breath. When you exhale, drop your chin to your chest and gently roll your head clockwise as you inhale. Do it slowly, get the kinks out and reverse direction when done. Be conscious of your breathing and keep relaxed. Do these rolls in each direction a couple of times. Stand and brace your hands over your head to release shoulder tension. Exercising your eyes will help to deduce focusing fatigue. Look away from your monitor every half hour or so and focus on something across the room or out the window. Look at it for 10-15 seconds. Then look back at something close and stare at it for the same time. Do this 10 times. Studies show that computer users blink only 20 percent as frequently as they normally do. This dries the eyes, causing blurred vision, irritation and fatigue. So make a conscious effort to blink when computing. Our ancestors used to live outdoors, always watching the horizon in search of the food they hunted. We on the other hand, live indoors and stare at our computer monitors. It's not the way we were meant to live and it's not healthy. One thing we can do is change from the old cathode ray tube-type monitors to the newer flat-panel LCDs, which are easier on the eyes. The CRTs have flicker, which contribute to eye strain. If you have one of those, go into the monitor settings and change the refresh rate to at least 70 Hz. LCDs have no flicker or settings to change. When shopping for the flat panel models get one with a dot pitch of .28 or lower and be at least 19 inch diagonally in size. They will have a sharper image than those with a higher dot pitch, which are often cheaper. So -- and there is the caveat -- with monitors, cheaper is not always the best choice. Bad lighting has an ill effect on our eyes. Try to have room lights and windows either above or to the sides of your computer. Try to minimize glare. If the light source is behind the monitors, you will be looking at it; if behind you, you'll see its reflection. The display should not be a source of light but only as bright as the room you're in. Take a look a white background on a Web page. If it's on the dull side, brighten it a bit, but not too much. Adjustments can be made not only from the buttons on the display, but from the software as well. You can change setting for brightness and contrast, along with gamma, saturation and vibrance in most cases. Play with it to find a comfortable setting. You can always revert back to the default setting should you find you over adjusted it. In most computers, look where you change the resolution, most of the time by right-clicking on your desktop and depending on your version of Windows, either go to Settings, or Personalize and look for Color Management from there. You can also calibrate your display settings in there. The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health says eye strain can not only cause fatigue, decreased productivity and CVS, but can lead to glaucoma. The most important thing to do according to our optometrist, Dr. Elliott Brass, is to get annual eye exams and have proper eyewear. This is especially important if you work constantly in front of a computer. I wear trifocal progressive glasses. The midsection of the lens is for my computer vision and helps immensely. There are also dedicated computer glasses that you can get. Take breaks, even if they're at your desk. Stand and stretch, blink, stare out a window, roll your head. It all helps. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns

REFURBS

POSTED: October 16, 2010 1:00 a.m.

	Buy Refurbs and Save Refurbished items can be a bargain By Arthur Glazerarthur@glazerthepctech.com Everybody likes a bargain. But even as the cost of computers and other electronics have come down, there is still another way so save a few bucks on them. One word: Refurbs. No, don't stop reading. I know that many of you have this image of a refurbished item being something that a couple of children played dodgeball with, got it all sticky, broke some parts, lost some others and then had it returned by their parents. Well, that's just not the case. Refurbished electronics, or refurbs as they are called, can be a variety of things. They are items that were purchased new and for whatever reason returned, usually within 30 days. They could have been broken or just not liked. For whatever reason, they are inspected, reconditioned, repaired if necessary, repackaged and resold at a considerable discount. Some of these could have been store demos, others simply overstock items. Demos may have small scratches, but are otherwise fine. I always ask if there is scratch-and-dent room in a store or look for one on a web site. A scratch equals a discount. When a store has shelves full of last year's laptops and the new models come in, the old ones are considered discontinued or overstock items. What were new models now become obsolete with the new line coming in. They are now also considered refurbs, even though they are really new and never used. If you don't need state-of-the-art, you've got yourself a bargain. Open-box returns are simply that. Someone got a computer and it turned out to be the wrong model or perhaps a color they didn't like so they sent it back. Now it's a refurb. I recently bought a refurbished printer at a huge discount. When I opened the box, all of the protective tape was still on the device and it looked brand new. Then I realized why it was returned. This particular printer took some assembly to make it function. Not only did I have to install the cartridges, I had to install the print head, the paper loader, and the power supply, and then configure it. After 20 minutes or so, I could finally use it. For me it was no big deal. That's what I do. But for someone who is not technically inclined, to come upon something like that, it's back in the box and back to the store. Some consumers simply want an out-of-box experience. Open it and use it. So items like that become refurbs. Off-lease items are computers, printers or whatever that were leased to companies and then returned at the end of their contracts. They are reconditioned and then sold as refurbs. You may find computers that were ordered custom-made and never picked up by the consumer. Now they're refurbs. There are of course items that were broken and returned. But these go through a rigorous revamping. Whatever is found wrong is fixed. Only 10 percent of returned items are taken apart and resold for their parts. Everything else is reconditioned and sent back to the stores as refurbs. Just because thing are sold at a discount doesn't mean they are not covered under a warranty. Most items have the same coverage that a new item would. At the least, you'll have 30 days to return the item if you are not satisfied with it. Always ask about the coverage. Some companies will even sell you an extended warranty on a refurb. That is telling you they have faith in that item and are willing to back it. I have one that states if I return it three times for the same reason, it will be replaced. There are lots of websites that deal with refurbs. Dell computers have a ton of desktops and laptops on their site. They offer the same warranties on their refurbished computers as new computers. Overstock.com is another site to consider. Much of what they sell is refurbished items. Read the fine print and you'll see. Often they will tell you if it is new or was an open-box return of a demo. AT&T sells refurbished cell phones on its website. Refurbdepot.com sells a little bit of everything on theirs. There is tigerdirect.com and newegg.com that have the occasional refurbished item. Whatever store or site you go to, ask if they have refurbs and what type of warranties comes with them. Things to watch out for are crushed boxes or dented corners on them; they could have been dropped leading to further damage. If you get a computer delivered to you like that, tell the driver to note it on the invoice. You may open the box and find a computer D.O.A. By purchasing a refurbished device you can save anywhere from 20 percent to 80 percent. Often it is identical to the new item. Heed my advice and you may save a couple of bucks next time you're computer shopping. Should you forget, I'll write it again in another column in a few months - refurbished. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

Banking Online

Computer Care: Online banking is great, if you take precautions

By Arthur Glazer

arthur@glazerthepctech.com

POSTED: October 2, 2010 1:00 a.m.

Online banking can take the stress out of transacting with your money. You can check your balances and pay your bills from home, but depending upon which type of online bank you use, it can have its pitfalls.

Banking online, no matter what type, is as secure as your password and your Internet connection. The majority of the risk is at your end. The bank secures their end.

Next time you buy something online, look at the address bar. It will have an "s" after the http://. The "s" is for secure. Often you'll also see an icon of a padlock. This is telling you the site you are paying through is encrypted, secure and unhackable.

If you use Internet banking or even just your credit card online, make certain you have a secured connection at your end, especially if it is wireless. It needs to encrypted in one of the methods Windows offers. You should also choose your password carefully and not use the same one for all of your accounts for obvious reasons.

Don't use your address, birthday, Social Security number or dog's name either. Be original and change it on a regular basis.

Don't write it on a sticky note fastened to your monitor or on your credit card. Use a password manager like RoboForm or memorize it.

There are online-only banks like Paypal (which technically is not even a bank) and there are brick-and-mortar institutions that offer online services. Both types make it easy work with your money online, but the former has its drawbacks.

Sure you can pay for anything 24/7 from your home or hotel, but try to get help should something go wrong. Most online financial institutions, Paypal especially, offer no customer service. You are on your own in cyberspace and it gets lonely when trying to track your money.

At least if you use the services of a local bank, you can go there or call them in the morning. I like the fact they know me at my bank. Online, you are a stranger.

The biggest fault of online banking is that sites go down - both theirs and yours.

Online there are no tellers and no ATMs. Then there is the trust thing. Did that transaction really go through? The page went blank after I clicked "pay."

But I am not trying to scare you away from banking online, just to be aware of whom you are dealing with.

Many banks will let you pay your bills, or anyone for that matter, for free. You can pay them electronically in most cases or with a printed check they mail out if electronic payments are not accepted.

You can check your investments, transfer money from one of your accounts to another and even pay your mortgage from your checking account and it shows instantly.

What I like is that you have until 4 p.m. to get to the bank, but until 6 p.m. to get to your computer. If you make a payment at 5:45 p.m., it still counts as that day's payment.

Anytime you transact online, you will receive a confirmation e-mail that day. The best thing to do is scrutinize your bank statement, whether on paper or online. If there is a discrepancy, you usually have 30 days to contest it with most banks.

You need to beware of e-mail scam artists that send announcements of pending doom if you don't click the link to fix errors in your account.

If you get one of those, click nothing. They want you to fill out forms, including your account number and password. The bank knows your account number and will never ask you for your password.

Either go to your account online securely or call them to see if there is anything wrong. Then report the e-mail.

So you need to watch for scammers; nothing new. If you are banking online, you are safe but need to take a few things into consideration. If bill-paying via the Internet, find out if your utility accepts electronic payments. If not, you need to allow for a check to be mailed, just as if you did it yourself.

Always save and print your receipts when you transact online.

Be cautious with your passwords and know that your connection is secure.

Paypal was originally fashioned as a way to pay for eBay auctions. Eventually eBay bought Paypal and now it has become a questionable e-commerce paying institution that favors the buyer, often freezing funds from seller's accounts.

If you want to pay for online auctions, it's fine. If you want a real bank, look elsewhere.
Banking with computers is easy and safe. All of your payees are on a list that you set up.

You set the dates and amount you want paid. They can be a one-time or recurring payment.

There is something to be said for the convenience of banking from the kitchen table at dinner time.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

Buying a Laptop

Laptops: You get what you pay, for so get what you need By Arthur Glazerarthur@glazerthepctech.com POSTED: September 18, 2010 12:30 a.m. [This listing has become corrupt & unfixable. It can be read at the Times site at www.gainesvilletimes.com. In the "Search Archives" box, type "Arthur Glazer" and look for this column.] With so many new types of computers to choose from lately, it's hard to know what to buy. More people seem to be purchasing the ubiquitous laptop, so let's take a look at them today. It used to be just a laptop. Now there are Netbooks, ultra lights, UMPCs or ultra-mobile personal computers (they are the size of a Kindle-type device). There are rugged models, gaming models, tablets and desktop replacements. Then there is the mainstream laptop. Within each of those categories come varying components. There is not a standard in any one of them. When you shop for a laptop, after you decide how much you want to spend and what type you want, that still leaves you with many decisions. Should I get a 32- or 64-bit system? The latter is faster and will take advantage of more memory, but not all software will run under a 64-bit system yet. Many computers will ship with a disc allowing you the option to choose which you'd prefer. There are also hard drives, RAM (memory) and the processor, clock speed and system cache to consider. The processor really defines the system. It's not just Intel versus AMD, either. AMD has its Athlon, Sempron, Turion and Phenom (X2, X4, X6) processors, while Intel has the Pentium, the Atom, i3, i5 and i7 and Xeon models. Each has many configurations. Each is suited for different purposes. If you just need a laptop for general computing, I wouldn't lose any sleep over not knowing the differences. As long as you have at least a gigabyte or two of RAM and a 300 GB or so hard drive, whatever processor comes with that would suffice. If you are a gamer or work extensively with videos, I would drop a few more dollars and get a higher-end system. More memory helps, but a better processor will help more. Most laptops now come with at least a dual-core processor. That is one physical processor working as two. It is faster than the old single-core type. There are now also quad cores and they can be faster and even more expensive. At the low end, Netbooks generally use the Intel Atom processor. It is weak. There is a small 7-10 inch display with a keyboard not suitable for chubby fingers. The hard drive is small, there is little memory and there is no optical drive (CD/DVD drive). It's lightweight and may be great for students, but you get what you pay for. In the mid-range or mainstream area, there is an abundant of devices to choose from. For $500, you can get a decent laptop, good enough to check your e-mail and go on Facebook, anyway. For $700 to $900 you can get a really nice system. You will find the most choices in that range. It will come down to what features you are the most comfortable with. Generally a benchmark of how good a computer is, is what's called the clock speed of the processor. In 1993, I had a Pentium with a clock speed of 33 MHz. That was a blazing 33 million cycles per second. In contrast, I now have a Turion with 2.3 GHz clock speed. That means it processes at 2.3 billion cycles per second. Some newer models have better than 3 GHz. But with today's newer processors, there is more than just the clock speed. You need to look at the cores as well. There is also something called hyperthreading that allows the processor to actual multitask efficiently. A dual core i5 may be faster than an Athlon dual core, but could cost lots more. Do you need the speed and the extra cost? You can get a mediocre Netbook for $300 or a great desktop replacement for $1,800. Ask yourself a few questions prior to shopping. Determine what you will use the computer for before you get to the store and it won't be so overwhelming when you get there. First and foremost set a budget. Know that you won't go above a certain amount. Then determine how it will be used. Next, how much power will you need? How light does it need to be? Will a 300 GB hard drive and 3 GB of RAM be enough? Look at the processor. Get a dual core. Unless you store lots of music, video or photos, a 300-500 GB hard drive is plenty. Some systems now ship with a terabyte drive, which is 1,000 GB. One gigabyte of RAM is minimal; two is better, but 3-4 GB is best. As far as accessories, consider an external drive. With it, you can transfer data from one system to another. Also if you find the glidepad uncomfortable, get a wireless USB mouse. If you determine what you need the night before, you'll make a quicker and an informed decision once you're at the store. Whether you end up with an Acer, Toshiba, Dell, Samsung or HP, once you get it home, you will be amazed how technology has grown since your last computer purchase. Enjoy your 3 billion cycles of processing per second. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

Quick Computer Tips

Computer Care: Quick, easy steps to make your PC run smoother By Arthur Glazer arthur@glazerthepctech.com In the Information Age, good information is good as gold. What follows, you could take to the bank. Don't deposit it. Cash it. Here are a bunch of quick tips, information you can use as soon as you finish reading it. This information is relevant, whether you have XP, Vista or Win 7. Want to make shortcuts on your desktop of your webmail address or any address? Open your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer) and go to the page you want. Left-click on the icon to the left of the URL (address) and drag it to your desktop. Have too many miscellaneous icons on your desktop? Create folders to organize them. Right-click on an empty spot on your desktop and choose "new" and then "folder." Name it what you want. I have one for pdf files and one for utilities. Drag the respective icons into their new folders. Have trouble running programs sometimes? Right-click on the program icon from the desktop and choose to "Run as Administrator." To not corrupt data on your USB flash drives, don't just unplug them when you're done. In "My Computer," right-click on the USB drive and choose "Eject." Alternatively, go to the taskbar to use the "Safely Remove" option for USB devices. These turn the device off before you unplug it. Tired of Windows updates being thrown at you? Right-click on "My Computer' (or Computer) and go to "Properties." Find the Updates tab and choose another option. You can choose to have the system tell you when updates are available, but to download and/or install them when you want to. Back up often. It's not a matter of if a hard drive or another component will fail, but when. Save your data to an external source like another drive, a CD or DVD. Having trouble suddenly with things not being responsive? Try a System Restore. Find it in (XP) Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools or on Vista/7, just type it in the search box. Alternatively, press F8 when the system reboots and choose, "Return System to Last Known Good Configuration." Want to alphabetize your programs menu in XP? (It's automatically done in later versions.) Right-click on any entry on the list and choose to "Sort by name." Are your laptop keys not fully pressing down? Grab them with a finger nail and pull them off to dust underneath them. Then just press them back on until you hear a click. With desktop keyboards, turn them upsides down and shake, vacuum or use compressed air. Feel like your system is sluggish? See the processes list to determine which might be the culprit program. Press Control + Alt + Delete at the same time and see the Processes tab. If one has a very high number click on it, then choose "End Process." (Make sure it is not a system item or you'll just reboot.) If your system is better now, you have a found a resource hog program. If you don't have a lot of RAM (memory) in your computer, turn off the enhancements. In XP go to System Properties from My Computer again and choose "Advanced "and then "Settings". Choose the "Best Performance" option. In Vista/7, type, "fade" in the search box and turn off the superfluous enhancements. You really don't need animations, fade in and outs, transparencies, etc., especially if your RAM can't afford it. Remember to reboot your system after any changes are made for them to take effect. Also reboot when you install a new device (printer) or a new program. Pause or temporarily disable your antivirus program before you install new software. There is the potential for conflicts otherwise. If you lost sound, your Internet connection or anything, check the Device Manager for notification of a missing driver. In XP look under Hardware, from Properties in My Computer. In Vista/7, just type in the search area for Device Manager. This is more of an FYI than a tip: If you know you have a gigabyte of RAM but your system is showing only 704 megabytes, nothing is wrong. Your system is sharing memory with your video card. High-end cards come with their own RAM, others do not. When you install a printer, don't plug in your USB cable until the installation program tells you to do so. It probably won't work otherwise. When you get an error message, especially one you don't understand, Google it, in quotes if necessary to find out what's wrong. If you lose your Internet connection, try resetting your modem and router if you have one. You can wait on hold with your service provider for an hour and that is the first thing they will have you do. There are so many things you can fix or enhance on your computer by yourself. But others do require a technician. Not everything is a do-it-yourself job. If you experiment in the Windows Registry for example, you can turn your computer into an expensive doorstop in a matter of seconds. Tread lightly. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns