Future Tech

Computer Care: Today’s high-tech gadgets are just the start

By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com
UPDATED: December 6, 2013 10:41 p.m.

When I was a kid, I would create things in my dad’s workshop that would revolutionize society. They were futuristic and impressive looking — only they didn’t do anything.
As I got older, I at least made the lights turn on, but that’s where it stopped.
I read comics about Dick Tracy’s wristwatch, and saw science fiction television where mad scientists created the strangest gadgets. I watched villains fight my hero Superman with then state-of-the-art technology. The flashing lights on all the spaceships I saw were impressive. I was inspired.

When I finally got to visit Mission Control as an adult, I was surprised to see that my inventions of the late ’50s didn’t look much different than NASA’s devices of the late ’60s.

Today’s technology truly amazes me. There are now approximately 2 billion personal computers on desks on the planet, in addition to the 6.5 billion mobile phones in use worldwide.

Think about what they do for a moment. In mere seconds, we can send a message to anyone. We can pull up a weather forecast, check traffic patterns or see if our plane is running late.

There are bank balances and sports scores to check, photos from loved ones to view, the ability to update your Facebook status and, oh yeah, call anyone from anywhere.

I have in my phone Internet access, a camera, a level, a compass, a barcode scanner, a document scanner, a flashlight, a virtual assistant, music, movies, a calendar and a to-do list, as well as unlimited maps and, of course, email and texting ability.

And I was impressed that Captain Kirk could talk to the Enterprise from Rigel One with his communicator. Aside from the fact that he could beam aboard, I do believe we’ve got him beat.

Now we have various wearable computers on the market. There is the WIMM One, an Android watch that Dick Tracy would love, and Google glasses, the eyeglass computer display that would make Kirk envious.

We have gone from mouse-controlled devices to touch- and voice-controlled. Now researchers are working on thought-controlled devices, and it’s not science fiction.

In Japan, thought-controlled robots are being developed. Google has announced that they are testing a fleet of robots for various purposes. Robots, although perhaps not yet mainstream, have worked their way into real life, so to speak.

There is talk of thought control use in car navigation systems and for assistance with people with disabilities and the elderly, among other areas.

Moore’s Law states that the number of components in our technological devices (and the speed at which they deliver) will be doubled approximately every 18 months. This, in fact, has held true since the 1960s. So not only are our gadgets getting smaller and smarter, they’re also getting faster.

In retrospect, I recall how slow my first 286-SX computer was, running Windows 3.1. Think of how we will feel about our laptops of today, 30 or 40 years from now. We will snicker at their quad-core processors and their paltry terabyte of storage space.

Did you even consider back 30 years or more that you would be wearing a portable phone, talk to your car’s navigation system or be able to access map information via a satellite? How about hanging your television on the wall? That would all be absurd, right? Yet we do these things now without even giving it a second thought.

In the coming year we can look forward to some new innovations. USB devices for example, will be bilateral, meaning there will be no more upside-down when you attempt to plug them in.

Aside from the ever-evolving iPhones and X Boxes, there will be new gadgets. Virtual glasses are being honed for mainstream use. Watch for Meta space Glasses and the Foc.us Headset, both coming soon.

We will more than likely see more ergonomically designed devices, including curved displays on our portable gadgets, smarter TVs and better home automation.

MIT researchers are currently working on software that will make our Internet connections three times faster than they are now. Leap Motion, a Texas company, says mouse clicks may be a thing of the past as soon as their hand-motion technology gets refined.

“It’s a new era in which people interact with digital information as naturally as if it were real,” said Leap Motion co-founder David Holz.

And research continues. There is a group of scientists who gather with the purpose of making human space travel beyond our solar system to another star a reality within the next 100 years. They discuss the possibilities of warp drives and wormholes. Perhaps they will beam aboard.

Those researchers say that they want to go faster than the speed of light, regardless of what Einstein said — and they don’t want to stop at Mars: To infinity and beyond.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

Contolling Computer Cookies

Computer Care: How to keep your cookies under control

By Arthur Glazer

glazer.tech@gmail.com
POSTED: November 8, 2013 10:24 p.m.

Computer cookies, just as baked cookies, contain small bits in them. Instead of chocolate chips or raisins, computer cookies have in them bits of data. Usually innocuous and helpful, cookies may on occasion be detrimental to safe computing.

When you log on to often used websites like Amazon or eBay, the system recognizes you because of cookies. Little bits of data or markers are left on your computer from websites you visit so you will be recognized on your next visit.

Whenever I log back on to Amazon, I am greeted with a, “Welcome back, Arthur.” That is due to cookies. Without them, it would be like we went to oft-visited sites as if always for the first time.

As a Gmail user, I don’t have to re-enter my email address and password each time I open the application due to cookies, which retain my user information for me.

Other good cookies include those used in online shopping carts, e-billing websites and those that retain your personalized settings, like on your home page.

Should you clean your computer’s cookies, pick and choose which ones you delete. I noticed that when I inadvertently wipe them all, on sites like Gmail and Amazon, I have to re-enter my log-on information. With cookies gone, your favorite sites won’t recognize you anymore.

Cookies have been around since the mid 1990s when Netscape first used them to track users of their then-new browser. Since then, the use of cookies have become ubiquitous, from traditional tracking of users on retail websites to nefarious tracking of browsing habits in the form of tracking cookies.

The latter is a source of personalized advertising and email spam by having your browsing habits sold to advertisers. Although not technically malware, this type of cookie can be considered a form of spyware.

Have you ever wondered how, after exploring for example various automotive websites, that you begin getting spam email from auto dealers? Look on one site for a product and you’ll get spam from others selling that same product. It’s not a coincidence.

You are targeted, just as you are on the sidebar of Facebook. The ads, thanks to tracking cookies, are generally not random.

Cookies are nothing but text files. They are not self-replicating or able to initiate a program and can’t run code, thus unable to spread a virus or malware. All they do is identify you. They say to the website, “I’m back!” Some expire quickly (shopping cart), while others may remain for a long time (log-on).

Depending upon which Web browser you use, cookies can be managed, but the methods vary. Third-party applications can also be used to control cookies on your computer and as usual, many are free.

Ccleaner is a popular one, found at piriform.com. Aside from managing cookies, it also cleans your registry and empties your caches of junk files. Another is the one-task, easy-to-use Cookie Monster, found at ampsoft.net. Both will allow you to keep your good cookies and get rid of those that track your browsing habits.

Many Internet security suites also incorporate a utility to deal with cookies, so if you have a paid version of a suite, explore the settings for cookie management before you install another utility.

This task can also be accomplished from the browsers without the aid of an add-on utility. To learn how to delete or block cookies using Internet Explorer, go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260971for instructions. Alternatively, point your browser tohttp://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/clear-cookies-installed.html for full instructions on how to manage cookies not just for IE, but for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera as well.

Whichever Web browser you use, be sure you have the latest version installed. By keeping it updated, you can ensure it has the latest security defenses installed. Older, outdated browsers may be a source for cookie-based exploits.

To update most browsers, click on the “About” or “Help” menu at the top of the screen. Then look for “Update.” In Chrome, click the Chrome icon in the upper right corner, then “About Google Chrome.”

You have the option to not accept cookies, but by doing so you lose the functionality of many websites. The site may still allow you to visit it, but it will be the plain vanilla version instead of the loaded version with all the bell and whistles.

Before you wipe out all of your cookies in a fit of paranoia, find out which ones you need to keep, which ones to delete and use a utility, built-in or otherwise, to manage them. By deleting them all on a regular basis may afford you additional online privacy, but it’s also going to unenhance your site visitation and force you to type in all of your log-on information each time you visit your favorite websites.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

Extended Warranties

Computer Care: Think twice before buying extra warranty

By Arthur Glazer
glazer.tech@gmail.com

POSTED: October 25, 2013 6:27 p.m.

	When you buy your next electronic gadget during the next few months, whether for yourself or a gift, chances are the salesperson will ask if you want to add an extended warranty to the purchase. You’re under pressure to decide in a few seconds whether or not to spend about 15 percent of the device’s value to protect it. I almost always decline these offers.

Aside from the one time when my laptop had keyboard failure, I’ve never had to take advantage of the extended warranty, so I stopped buying them. The fact is, most things that will happen to a device will happen to it quickly and the repairs will be covered by the store’s or manufacturer’s warranty.

If the price is cheap enough — and often it is enticing — I will buy protection for a laptop only. I frequently carry my laptop with me when I travel and when I go on jobs, so the chance of it being bumped, dropped or otherwise damaged is great.

When you do feel it necessary to get the extra insurance, you need to inquire if it is a no-fault warranty. Would your purchase be covered if you dropped it or if your puppy chewed through the power cord?

Then you need to determine if you need to pack it up and send to a repair center or will you be provided with an RMA number and box to ship it in. Also inquire how long you would be without your device. Would you get a loaner in the interim (probably not) or would they come to you to make repairs?

You’ve got to (quickly) decide if what you are about to purchase is worth the extra expense of an additional warranty. What is the product worth; what could go wrong with it; what would repairs cost?

In rare cases the cost of the warranty is worth it, but there are caveats. If a persistent problem arises, the device will be replaced by the store or manufacturer.

Most consumers don’t know that when you send your covered computer in for repairs, you will get it back fixed but with your hard drive wiped clean. The way they fix software and operating system issues is simply to reinstall Windows. By doing that, all of your documents, photos, videos, music, spreadsheets and other data are deleted, not to mention all of your installed programs, printer driver and network and system settings. You will basically be starting from scratch, like the day you bought the computer.

Sometimes even if you send it in for a hardware issue, you may discover a wiped hard drive upon its return. That’s just the way they do things in the corporate repair world.

Many consumers also fail to realize if a premium credit card is used to purchase an appliance, it would be cover from Visa, MasterCard or American Express. Many of their high-end Gold and Platinum cards do cover purchases. So buying an extended warranty would just be redundant and a waste of money.

Motherboards and video display can fail, sure. But most times that would happen during the first few weeks or months, not a year later. They fail when old, but what doesn’t? So excepting the purchase of laptops, I’d save my money. If you could almost replace your device (tablet) for the cost of a warranty, get a new one instead.

Of all the computers I have repaired, only a handful required a motherboard replacement, and they were old XP machines. Hard drives fail, but at least they are relatively inexpensive.

Often you will spend about the same or less for repairs on your device instead of getting that warranty. Consider the time you will be without that laptop; often a couple of weeks. With a local repair, it might only be a day or two.

I save clients’ data whenever possible, but most times repairs done under warranty work will simply replace the drive, tossing all your stuff with it. So even with that warranty, there are instances when getting it fixed locally may prove better for you.

Just remember, should something go awry with your covered device, for the first week or two, the store would be responsible for it. They will at most times replace a defective unit. After that, it falls under the manufacturer’s warranty, which would cover anywhere from a year to two years.

 Should something happen to your device after that, then the extended warranty would kick in if you had one.

So even if you did purchase an extra insurance policy on your computer (or laptop, tablet, phone, Blu-ray, etc), if it fails during the first year, it could be covered by a warranty other than the extended one. Also consider saving the money the warranty would cost and put it toward repairs or even replacing the device altogether.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

Controlling Spam

Computer Care: Filtering out your electronic junk mail

By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com
POSTED: October 11, 2013 10:42 p.m.

Every afternoon when my mail gets delivered, I can’t help but notice how few junk letters I receive. I get a couple of bills, a magazine, the occasional package and maybe a solicitation from a local business or two. That’s it. A few years ago I got piles of paper every day. The bulk of junk mail today is sent electronically.

So now it’s my spam box that fills up daily. I can get 40 to 60 junk emails each day, but they go directly into my spam box. Without the defenses I have installed, there could be much more, demanding more of my attention each day.

There are various ways to cut down on your spam in your email inbox. It’s best to use filters, an email service or client that helps filter spam for you, and to use different accounts for different purposes.

Let’s start with the last one first. Your email address is precious. You shouldn’t give it out to anyone who asks. We all sign up for things: newsletters, sales flyers, sweepstakes and other things we come across online. The trick is to not use your real or your primary email address account for these purposes.

Create a throw-away or disposable email account that you only use for sign-ups, not for correspondences. An alternative to this is to use free websites that create these for you. Check outmailinator.com, guerrillamail.com, spamex.com or maildrop.cc (yes, cc).

There are others and most of these are free, but all will only keep your messages temporarily.

Some will retain them for a while — some a few hours, others only a few minutes — so be sure to check your accounts quickly for the response you may need.

On these sites, you create a temporary email address with the site’s domain and use that instead of your own for sign-ups.

You can also use your current email service to create a second or dummy account. If you use a Web-based email like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, just make another account the way you made your real one. Just don’t use it for email. Instead of you@gmail.com, make secondary account like you.temp@gmail.com.

Some domains (I also use Earthlink and Charter) will allow you to set up filters to help block your spam. You can block by keyword, content, name or domain. The last is what I commonly use. When I keep getting spam from joe@junk.com, then, bob@junk.com, and info@junk.com, I just block the domain.

They all come into my Gmail inbox, and it has its own set of filters. If you use Gmail, click on the “Settings” link on the right side of the page when you’re logged in, then click on “Filters.” From there you can control what comes in. You can also create your own filter with your own personalized rules.

Should something slip through, there is a button to click when spam finds its way to your inbox. It will allow you to report the message as spam and block it and also allow you to unsubscribe to the message (if it has a legitimate unsubscribe link).

Be aware, too, that when you do sign up for things that you want (using your primary account), uncheck the box that gives permission to send future emails about sales, events, etc.

There are also spam-fighting products you can purchase to install on your computer. Some of the better ones include SpamFighter Pro, Mailwasher Pro, iHateSpam and Spam Catcher. Each works differently and some are for email clients (like Outlook), others are designed for Web-based email (like att.net), while there are some will work on all systems.

Many anti-virus or anti-malware products come with add-ons for spam reduction. Contact the manufacturer of your product to see what they may offer.

If you are an AOL user, your spam filter is turned on by default. To configure it, click on “Options,” then “Settings,” just below your user name on the upper right of the screen. Click on “Spam Settings” and then find the drop-down menu next to “Spam Filter” and adjust it to your liking.

Go to the “Sender Filter” option if you need to block specific people from reaching your inbox.

You should not respond to any solicitations you get via email. When you do, the sender then knows it is a live account and will send yet more junk email.

By no means respond to emails that appear vague or suspicious in the subject line. Some may offer you money or jobs. Others may say something like, “RE: About your email,” trying to lure you into opening and responding to it. Do not.

Before trashing the contents of my spam folder, I always give it a quick look, just in case something ended up there that should have gone to my inbox. It’s a computer; it makes mistakes.

If you keep your primary email address private, use filters and aliases and don’t respond to vague solicitations, you can reduce the amount of junk mail that reaches your inbox.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

	POSTED: October 11, 2013 10:42 p.m. Every afternoon when my mail gets delivered, I can’t help but notice how few junk letters I receive. I get a couple of bills, a magazine, the occasional package and maybe a solicitation from a local business or two. That’s it. A few years ago I got piles of paper every day. The bulk of junk mail today is sent electronically. So now it’s my spam box that fills up daily. I can get 40 to 60 junk emails each day, but they go directly into my spam box. Without the defenses I have installed, there could be much more, demanding more of my attention each day. There are various ways to cut down on your spam in your email inbox. It’s best to use filters, an email service or client that helps filter spam for you, and to use different accounts for different purposes. Let’s start with the last one first. Your email address is precious. You shouldn’t give it out to anyone who asks. We all sign up for things: newsletters, sales flyers, sweepstakes and other things we come across online. The trick is to not use your real or your primary email address account for these purposes. Create a throw-away or disposable email account that you only use for sign-ups, not for correspondences. An alternative to this is to use free websites that create these for you. Check outmailinator.com, guerrillamail.com, spamex.com or maildrop.cc (yes, cc). There are others and most of these are free, but all will only keep your messages temporarily. Some will retain them for a while — some a few hours, others only a few minutes — so be sure to check your accounts quickly for the response you may need. On these sites, you create a temporary email address with the site’s domain and use that instead of your own for sign-ups. You can also use your current email service to create a second or dummy account. If you use a Web-based email like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, just make another account the way you made your real one. Just don’t use it for email. Instead of you@gmail.com, make secondary account like you.temp@gmail.com. Some domains (I also use Earthlink and Charter) will allow you to set up filters to help block your spam. You can block by keyword, content, name or domain. The last is what I commonly use. When I keep getting spam from joe@junk.com, then, bob@junk.com, and info@junk.com, I just block the domain. They all come into my Gmail inbox, and it has its own set of filters. If you use Gmail, click on the “Settings” link on the right side of the page when you’re logged in, then click on “Filters.” From there you can control what comes in. You can also create your own filter with your own personalized rules. Should something slip through, there is a button to click when spam finds its way to your inbox. It will allow you to report the message as spam and block it and also allow you to unsubscribe to the message (if it has a legitimate unsubscribe link). Be aware, too, that when you do sign up for things that you want (using your primary account), uncheck the box that gives permission to send future emails about sales, events, etc. There are also spam-fighting products you can purchase to install on your computer. Some of the better ones include SpamFighter Pro, Mailwasher Pro, iHateSpam and Spam Catcher. Each works differently and some are for email clients (like Outlook), others are designed for Web-based email (like att.net), while there are some will work on all systems. Many anti-virus or anti-malware products come with add-ons for spam reduction. Contact the manufacturer of your product to see what they may offer. If you are an AOL user, your spam filter is turned on by default. To configure it, click on “Options,” then “Settings,” just below your user name on the upper right of the screen. Click on “Spam Settings” and then find the drop-down menu next to “Spam Filter” and adjust it to your liking. Go to the “Sender Filter” option if you need to block specific people from reaching your inbox. You should not respond to any solicitations you get via email. When you do, the sender then knows it is a live account and will send yet more junk email. By no means respond to emails that appear vague or suspicious in the subject line. Some may offer you money or jobs. Others may say something like, “RE: About your email,” trying to lure you into opening and responding to it. Do not. Before trashing the contents of my spam folder, I always give it a quick look, just in case something ended up there that should have gone to my inbox. It’s a computer; it makes mistakes. If you keep your primary email address private, use filters and aliases and don’t respond to vague solicitations, you can reduce the amount of junk mail that reaches your inbox.

	POSTED: October 11, 2013 10:42 p.m. October 11, 2013 10:42 p.m.

WirelessComputing

Computer Care: It’s a wireless world, and soon we’ll all be connected

By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com

POSTED: September 27, 2013 6:01 p.m.

Back in the day, if you wanted Internet access, you needed an Ethernet connection; you were tethered to a cable. Then came wireless Internet or Wi-Fi. It’s also called WLAN or Wireless LAN, which is Wireless Local Area Network. The technical term for it is 802.11, which is the set of standards for wireless in the 2.4-5 GHz frequency bands.

We’ve gone from 802.11a to b to g, then to n and more recently to the newly developed 802.11ac speeds. You will soon be seeing equipment with that standard on it.

Just when you think you’ve got the latest technology, something better and faster comes along.

As opposed to connecting your smartphone via a 3G or 4G cell tower, Wi-Fi connects to a computer via an access point, or a router. It’s usually the less expensive connection option with your laptop, tablet or cellphone. If you have access to Wi-Fi, choose it over 3G or 4G to save your data and money.

Wi-Fi is now much more widespread than it used to be. It’s not just free at coffee houses, airports and hotels anymore, either. Whole offices are wireless. Some municipalities are offering free Wi-Fi in their downtown areas or parks.

Santa Clara, Calif., has about 19 square miles of public Wi-Fi for its residents and San Jose’s covers 1.5 miles of its downtown area. San Francisco is working on its version with Google.

Amherst, Mass., has free service in its downtown area as does El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colo., and some others.

But currently, there are many more European and Asian cities with free municipal Wi-Fi than in the United states, although we are working on it.

Bologna and Milan in Italy offers free hot spots around the city and Dublin, Ireland, offers the same. Bangkok, Thailand, has free wireless service, as does Taipei, Taiwan, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand, at select places.

In Paris, the parks and libraries have free Wi-Fi. In Zrenjanin, Serbia, it’s free in the city center, and in Vatra Dornei, Romania, 85 percent of the city is covered with free Wi-Fi.

The list goes on: Heraklion, Greece; Geneva, Switzerland; Luxembourg; Bangalore, India; Montreal and Toronto, Canada; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Not only is Wi-Fi free in these places and dozens more like them, but they have faster access speeds than we do here.

The new 802.11ac standard will make it easier for more cities to accomplish this task in the near future.

With the proliferation of Wi-Fi and number of devices that use it ever increasing, there is a demand for increased performance. The best 802.11n devices top out at 450 megabits per second at close range, with declining performance as the range increases.

In contrast, the new 802.11ac standard can achieve more than three times that performance with speeds up to 1.35 gigabits per second. The new 802.11ac standard has the capability to maintain a higher level of performance at any range.

There will be eight times more channels than with previous standards and we can expect less interference from devices such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, Bluetooth gadgets or metal studded walls.

We may be about to catch up with the rest of the world as far as wireless Internet access is concerned. Not only are U.S. subscribers cutting the cord to their land line phones, but to their wired Internet service as well.

Web connections on the now ubiquitous smartphones, laptops, tablets, televisions and gaming devices make the demand for greater access and faster speeds. 802.11ac should provide for that.

According to consumer surveys by Leichtman Research Group Inc., hundreds of thousands of Americans canceled their home Internet service last year, relying instead on wireless access.

Those people are taking advantage of the growing abundance of Wi-Fi hot spots around the country with their portable wireless devices. The new standard will allow even more users access to the fast new wireless networks as access rates improve.

So be prepared to get a new router soon if you do a lot of streaming with your wireless devices.

Next time you find yourself at a public park or downtown, who knows — you may be able to watch a movie, or at least freely check your Facebook or email accounts.

I know I’ll be watching more Netflix on my tablet than NBC on my television. I will finally be able to listen to Pandora more freely.

Not being a 3G or 4G subscriber on my cellphone, the proliferation of faster free wireless will be music to my ears — literally.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

Repair or Replace your PC?

Computer Care: Knowing when to fix, when to replace

	By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com POSTED: September 6, 2013 9:48 p.m The last three computers I worked on all needed to be retired, replaced or used for target practice. There comes a time when it’s simply no longer cost-effective to keep your old XP relic running, no matter how much you like it. I have an XP machine in my lab that I use solely for research while working on other computers. It has its issues, but serves its purpose. But it is not my main computer and should it fail, I have others. One decade-old computer I recently worked on had a failing hard drive, was in need of additional RAM and had an inoperable optical drive. Could I have repaired it? Sure, but the cost would have been close to that of a new computer with a faster processor, lots more RAM, a huge, new hard drive and a warranty. In a couple of hours I could have had it running like new, but for $200 more than my fee, an inexpensive replacement could be had. If you only require a memory upgrade though, by all means go for it. An additional gigabyte or two won’t cost much and you’ll really see the difference from 512 MB of RAM to 2 GB. Browsing within your computer and across the web will both be much faster. If you have enough memory already, but your hard drive fails, it is probably worth replacing the drive. You will need to have a Windows installation CD though. You can copy your data, but the Windows will need to be reinstalled on that new hard drive. Keep in mind your programs will need reinstalling as well. Your photos and documents can be transferred, but the programs that created them and the operating system cannot. Be advised to back up your files regularly. It may be too late by the time you think of it. Once a hard drive fails, there is precious little time to extract data from it. The easiest way is to either use an online service such as Mozy or Carbonite, or get an external USB hard drive for storage. Redundancy is good for important files. Make more than one copy if you value your data. DVDs can get scratched and hard drives can fail, so spread your data around on various mediums. More than once I’ve had to reinstall my printer driver and software. I’d attempt to print something and Windows would advise me that I had no printer installed. Go figure. There was nothing else wrong with my computer, just no printer anymore. All printer manufacturers offer free driver downloads from their websites. It’s a simple, yet annoying fix for a printerless system. If your computer beeps more than once when it boots up, it’s telling you something is wrong. Most times it’s a memory error. Modules go bad or work their way loose. Desktop batteries also die. That’s another inexpensive, yet annoying fix, not worth trashing your computer over. Many clients have advised me that if I couldn’t speed up their system, they would throw out their computer and get new a one. To make a computer faster is not too much trouble nor much cost, either. It’s all know-how and labor. There are no parts to replace. If all that’s wrong with your computer is its speed, there is no reason to replace it. A robust tune-up will suffice. More than a virus, malware can bring your computer to its knees, making it crawl. Use of a proper utility or an occasional tune up will eradicate malware infections and help keep your system up to speed. One of the biggest malware scams is the registry cleaner. You see a pop-up advising you to click somewhere to fix your system’s registry. The key here is that without running a scan, there is no way for a program to know there are errors in the registry or anywhere else. Also keep in mind that many pop-ups say that Windows has discovered registry errors. Windows will never tell you that. It’s just not part of its job, not yet anyway. This is not to say that cleaning your registry won’t help your system; it will. You need to have installed a bonafide registry utility of your choice, though. Don’t pick one that mysteriously appears on your computer’s desktop. Some are real; others are not. Keep your computer healthy. Run virus and malware scans, clean temporary and history files and keep the registry and file system clean. An occasional defragmentation will help, as will updating your system drivers when necessary. But if you have multiple hardware failures on a computer that is older than your dog, it’s time to replace. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.

Photography Tips

Computer Care: Tips for the best summer snapshots

By Arthur Glazer glazer.tech@gmail.com POSTED: August 23, 2013 9:04 p.m. This summer I spent more time with my camera than my computer. As a camp photographer up in the mountains of White County, I shot more than 20,000 photos. To make them look good, I had to edit them quickly and judiciously -- good enough for parental scrutiny. Although the dog days of summer are behind us, Labor Day is just around the corner and chances are you still have some pictures to take. I’ve seen more poor quality images posted to Facebook recently; some were dark, some washed out, some simply blurry or in need of cropping. Even with the ubiquitous cellphone camera, quality photos can be created with little effort. The primary thing to consider when taking pictures is where your light is. Ideally, you don’t want to shoot into the sun, but rather have it over your shoulder. Even if you’re outdoors, don’t be afraid to use a flash. It will remove facial shadows and brighten up your pictures. Keep in mind though, the pop-up flash on cameras will reach only about 6 feet before its light dissipates. In order to get the most from the light that is available, your camera will read it with a meter. In DSLRs, most point-and-shoots and many cellphone cams, you control the meter. Usually, if you place the crosshairs in your viewfinder on the face of your subject and press the shutter release button half-way down, you not only place your subject in focus, but take a reading of the light on them as well. The thing is to hold onto that meter reading. Readjust your view to take the photo without releasing pressure on that button. Otherwise your pals will be in shadows, all blurry with the lake behind them sharply illuminated. After you get that reading, continue to frame your image, then finish pressing the shutter release button. When composing a picture, look at it as if it were a print. Be critical. Are there trees or poles coming out of your subjects’ heads? Are they in the light? Are there extraneous objects in the photos, like people or vehicles? It’s always a good idea to take a few extra shots to ensure one will come out. Some may be too dark or light; others may have someone not smiling or their eyes closed. There were close to a thousand shots at camp I didn’t use. Edit out the bad shots on the fly, before you get home. This will cut down the editing process. Just about every shot needs some editing, whether it be cropping out extra sky or people, or adding contrast or light to the image. However you alter it, the paramount rule of editing is not to save over the original photo. If you are working on photo 123.jpg, rename the edited image as 123a.jpg and save it in your docs or photo folder as opposed to the card it came from. This way, should you inadvertently ruin a picture, you will always have the original to try it again. Photoshop is the granddaddy of photo editors, but there are many good free editors online. GIMP is an open-source image editor. It is the closest thing you can get to Photoshop without paying anything. There’s a learning curve, but it’s free. Find it at www.gimp.org. Easier to use and free, are IrfanView, at www.irfanview.com and PhoXo at www.phoxo.com. Both will provide the basics of adjusting light and contrast with crop tools and more. Without loading an app to your computer, you can use online editors, like FotoFlexer found atwww.fotoflexer.com and Pixlr, at www. pixlr.com. They save you the trouble of an installation. Experiment with being creative with your photography. Try the different modes your camera has to offer. They change the exposure settings so you don’t have to. Most have a panoramic mode, one for sports and another for portraits. Looks at the icons on your camera’s mode dial or display and you’ll figure it out. If you want to experiment with manual settings, just remember the F-stop (aperture opening) works in direct relation to the shutter speed. If you raise one, lower the other. You’ll get basically the same picture with a little different results. Although the same amount of light comes through, a faster speed freezes action better and a smaller aperture yields a greater depth of field (more things in focus). Want create the effect of motion? Try panning your subject. If you have a moving subject like a car, a runner or bike rider, move you camera with it as you shoot the picture. Your subject will be in focus with a blurred background, looking as if he/she is really moving. Try it a few times and you’ll easily perfect this technique. So if you still have pictures to take this weekend or haven’t really done anything with images from the Fourth of July yet, now you can get busy with the knowledge of how to shoot better photos and how to fix those that didn’t come out as you’d expected.  Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.