Year End Lament

…with sincere apologies to "Auld Lang Syne"

Should smart phones be your pick next year
and cords at home unplugged.
Should Apple products be your choice
and the Android phone debugged.

CHORUS:

For Sprint, Verizon, Bell, my dear,
for all but A T and T,
We'll wait another calendar year
till they offer new 4 G.

Should Bill and Steve become good friends
as if they were in heaven,
We’ll see the i-Phone running apps
on devices with Windows 7.

CHORUS

And should you want to read a book
no store trip is required.
You’ll read from Sony, Kindle and Nook;
all of them will be unwired.

CHORUS

So may your Facebook friends increase
and follow you on Twitter.
Go try a few new apps a week
so you won’t look like a quitter.

CHORUS

Thus as we end another year
We are sad and we will wail.
Take heart and have no fear for
more stuff will come in G-mail.

More Gift Ideas

Last week I suggested a few hot items for gift giving. Not all electronic gifts are as expensive as flat screen TVs or eReaders. This week I have some ideas for gifts that will delight that special person on your list without breaking your budget.

Let’s start with an item I suggested last year. Based on comments I received it was a big hit. It is a gift that will be appreciated by your grandparents or your favorite aunt or uncle who may live far away. How about giving them an electronic picture frame? These frames come in various sizes from as small as 3” x 5” to as large as 11” x 17”. Essentially they consist of an LCD screen and an internal electronics that can store hundreds of digital pictures. These pictures can be displayed in several ways. You can set the frame to change the display of a different picture each minute or each day. Many will play short videos as well. Most look like traditional frames and can blend in with most any decor.

Rather than just sending the frame, take the time to load some of your family pictures that you shot over the past year. That way when it is plugged in, it will already be a very special gift. After all, your grandparents really don’t want the picture frame; they want to see pictures of your family. Each day, for years to come the frame will continue to keep giving. Most use small SD cards to store the photos. During the year you can mail some inexpensive SD cards already filled with Johnny’s tee ball game and they can enjoy keeping up to date on what’s happening.

These frames are available starting at about $30 for a small frame and can be found in discount stores, electronics stores and online. There are even smaller versions that can be carried in a purse. Won’t Grandma Edyth be a hit at the next bingo game when she shows off pictures of the new granddaughter.

It seems that most everyone has a digital camera. It also seems that whenever the time comes for that family picture there is a mad dash to find a way to set the camera up so the timer can be used allowing everyone to be in the shot. For about $10 you can get that photo buff on your list a mini tripod. They weigh only a few ounces and fold up so they can be carried in a pocket or purse but are sturdy enough to hold a regular size camera.

You don’t have top spend a lot of money to find some items that will be useful all the year long.

Gift Ideas of the Electronic Kind

Each year about this time I devote a couple of columns to what is hot for gift giving. This week and next I will give you some ideas for gifts for that person who likes anything with a plug attached or battery installed. This week we will look at some fairly expensive options. Next week I’ll suggest some stocking stuffers.

Flat Screen HD TVs are always a big hit. In years past I suggested that you wait to buy a large flat screen TV till after the Super Bowl. (Oops, I mean the “The Big Game.” I didn’t pay the NFL the fee to use the term Super Bowl…sorry Ollie.) This year go ahead. There is no reason to wait since there are some great deals. There is an over supply and most likely the prices will not fall much in the first quarter of 2011.

There are so many choices and sizes to choose from. Staying with a name brand like Sony, Samsung or Panasonic is always a good idea. It is true that the display screens are all made in the same factories but many of the components and features are indeed better in the name brands. I still have a Sony in my basement that we bought when we first got married…that was more than a few years ago.

There are several small screen TVs for the kitchen or camper now available. Many are battery operated and can be used on your deck, boat or camper. They are also useful when Duke’s hamsters go on strike. If the 3D feature is available for not much more money go for it, but 3D programming is still slow to take off and paying a premium is not worth it for most of us.

Other very popular items this year are e-readers. Once the province of only the geekiest among us, e-readers have taken the market by storm. There are several brands each with different features. Amazon.com leads the pack with the Kindle, but Sony, Barnes and Noble and other have models as well.

My suggestion is to choose one that uses e-ink technology. Most electronic devices that require a viewing screen use a system that has some type of back light. Reading from a back lit screen for long periods can be tiring. Also reading in bright sunlight is very difficult. E-ink creates an image that is very much like the printed page and obtains its contrast by reflecting light off the page just like a book.

By far the Amazon.com has the most titles available for the Kindle. On all of the
e-readers the books are loaded via the Internet using either a wifi or 3G connection. Unless you travel extensively, if you have access to wifi you don’t need the 3G option. Most e-readers can hold more than two thousand books. A good e-reader can be purchased for less than $200. A newly released best seller will cost about 10 bucks.

Next week I will concentrate of some items under $35.

LED Christmas Lights Keep the Holiday Green

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden has adopted them. Many commercial buildings and malls have followed suit. This year may be the right time for you to consider replacing your decorative holiday lights with energy efficient LEDs. Doing so will save energy, reduce your electric bill and, over time, save you some hard cash.

We might overlook these strings of colored lights as a major source of energy waste. The small glass lamps individually consume only a small amount of electricity. The problem is that we don’t often use just one or two bulbs, but attach hundreds on long strings. If you are of my generation, you remember when strings of lights on trees were made up of large bulbs similar to the ones used in night lights and other small appliances. These are called C-9 bulbs. So when the mini lights came out we thought we were already saving energy. It is true that the mini lights consume only about ½ watt of power for each bulb compared to 3 to 5 watts each for the larger C-9 bulbs. Nevertheless, when compared to the efficiency of LED bulbs, even these mini lights are power gluttons.

The standard LED holiday lights consume about 15% of the power used by traditional incandescent mini lights. This not only saves money, but allows you to safely string many more lights in outdoor displays without the need for extra extension cords and power outlets.

When LED lights first came out some people did not like the fact that the light was a “bluish white” rather than the traditional soft white of a candle. Manufactures have made some great improvements and have lights that appear very much like the traditional warm mini lights.

The initial cost of LED lights compared to incandescent mini lights can be significant, as much as double, so you will not save dollars in the first few years of using them. But, since they are much more durable than mini lights and will last up to 10x longer, there will be savings down the road.

So, this year when you are untangling that green mess and trying to find which one of the bulbs is bad and keeping the entire string from lighting up, save yourself some holiday hassle and extend your “green” Christmas beyond the tree in the family room by investing in LED lights.

Digital Ups and Downs

Digital solid state technology has allowed for the development of many new devices that can perform a variety of functions around the house. They dim our lights, control our heating and air conditioning and open our doors. While they are internally very complex, because they are comprised of integrated circuits with few or no moving parts many can be manufactured inexpensively. As reliable as they are, these devices do fail and often a replacement is the only real option rather than repair. For a light dimmer or door bell, that is no real issue. When the device is part of a larger system, replacement can be a hassle and expensive.

Recently a friend told me that his automatic garage door opener quit working and he had to replace it. He did all the troubleshooting steps found in the owner’s manual like checking the battery, making sure the unit was getting power, etc. He noted that he could open and close the door using the button on the wall but that neither of the remotes in the cars seemed to work. He was surprised that there might be an easy and inexpensive fix.

Rather than replacing the entire system I told him about a way to fix his problem for a fraction of the cost of a new opener. If the radio receiver in the unit has failed, you can bypass it with a replacement radio receiver. The receiver is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and plugs into any AC outlet. It comes with two new remotes for your car which will replace the ones that came with your original opener.

Installation is a breeze as all you need to do is plug the unit into an AC outlet and connect two small low voltage wires to your opener motor assembly. The new unit receives signals from the new remote controls and will operate your door just like the original remotes. The cost of the new receiver and two remotes is around $50 which is about 20% of the cost of a complete new unit.

Most home improvement stores carry the replacement kits or you can go on line to find one that is compatible with your brand of opener.

This is a great example of how digital devices can really save some money. The expensive part of any automatic garage door opener is the motor and lift assembly; the “brains” of the system are contained on a few integrated circuit chips costing pennies. So in this case we kept the expensive parts that were still working and replaced the low-cost brains which were not. An all day job of changing the entire unit is replaced by a job that takes about an hour including going to the store to buy the unit.

Don't Let Your Data Get Lost in the Cloud

Last week we discussed some major changes in the way we access, use, and store information on our home and/or office computers or on many other digital devices. Since I first discussed cloud computing in this column about six months ago, this trend continues to accelerate. Our data, once stored on drives within our computers, are now stored on the cloud. The cloud being one of many large servers interconnected via the Internet.

For sure, the benefits of using the cloud for storage are many. Our pictures, music, documents and financial records are safely stored and backed up. They can be accessed from anyplace we can get access to the Internet. When the computer fails or our smart phone is lost, we still have all the information. Sounds good to me.

But, using these free and pay cloud services can make us lazy and may provide a false sense of security. Remember, you must have access to the Internet to have access to your data. I know that at my house and office Internet access is reliable but there are times when it is not available. Storms, power outages, failures with Cincinnati Bell or Time Warner’s equipment can keep us off the net.

Most of the free or low cost cloud services do not guarantee that data will always be there. While it is unlikely, even large servers with many levels of redundancy can experience catastrophic failures. Why take a chance?

The best way to be sure that your data is safe and accessible is to make sure that you keep back up copies. Storing family pictures on Flickr or Snapfish is a wonderful way to organize and share your pictures with loved ones, but these Internet services should not be the only place you have copies.

For important files like family photos or financial or tax information, you should make copies and place them in a safe place. Since most computers can burn DVD or CD discs, you can periodically make copies for only pennies. In fact, making two copies of the files takes only a minute or two. You keep one and ask a relative or friend to keep the second copy. Most of us can store all the critical files we need on a few discs so it is not a real burden to ask a friend to keep an 8x10 envelope containing the DVDs in their closet or sock drawer.

If for some reason you can’t gain access to your files stored in the cloud and your DVD copy is damaged by fire or flood, the second copy stored at another location will be a life saver. It really comes down to the old saying: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

More "Clouds" on the Computer Horizon

It is getting cloudier these days. Don’t look for any heavy rains to quench our parched lawns but you may see some major changes in the way you access, use, and store information on your home and/or office computers or many other digital devices. I first discussed cloud computing in this column about six months ago. Since then the trend of migrating data, once stored on drives within your computer, to the cloud continues to accelerate.

At one point home and office computers were designed to handle all of your tasks with internal computational power. The data was in your machine. Computers were touted as having large capacity disk drives and faster processing power. Today you will see advertised laptops, netbooks, smart phones and other devices with relatively small internal storage capacity and modest internal processing power. This is possible because your programs and data are not stored on your machine. Rather, the data are sent to the cloud via the internet and the actual programs are running on very large computer servers located at datacenters around the world.

There is a famous quote by Thomas Watson, the former Chairman of IBM. In 1943 he said "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." In the years following that statement he was roundly ridiculed as computers became ubiquitous companions to most every facet of modern life. In retrospect, he may have been right on target.
What we are seeing today might be more than five large computers serving the world’s
needs, but for sure the trend is fewer “real” computers and millions of portable devices connected to them.

A few weeks ago, Steve Jobs, the flamboyant Founder and CEO of Apple held a press conference to release a new model of the MacBook Air. This newest laptop offering is less than an inch thick and weighs about the same as most fast food meals. This powerful but svelte machine from Apple has neither a hard drive nor any type of optical disc drive. You can’t insert a CD or DVD. Rather, the machine is designed to store a limited amount of data within the machine’s flash memory and use the Internet to connect to the cloud where all the heavy lifting and storage will be handled. So there is no more waiting for a DVD to come from Netflix. You will just log on to the Netflix site.

Many of us already use cloud computing without our knowing it. We store and share our pictures on Flickr or Snapfish. We listen to music on our computer or phone using Pandora. We have our calendars and address books stored on Goggle. Look for many more services to become available as the computing skies become cloudier.

Cloud computing does not come without some potential downsides. Next week we will look at some of the negative aspects and what you can do to address them.

Put Your Family in the Movies

This time of year many of us are looking forward to the holiday season and the parties and festivities that fill the months of November and December. I found a great web site that can add a bit of fun and flare to your next holiday party invitation or the greetings you might send to friends and family this year.

A few years ago you might remember a series of fun animated videos that were all the rage as they were shared by millions on the Internet. The videos superimposed the heads of various celebrities and politicians on the images of real or animated bodies of other people or characters. You can see some by clicking here . That site, JibJab.com, branched out and now offers a service that allows you to make your own videos using pictures of you, your friends and relatives and even your pets. You can send specialized party invitations or create your personalized version of classic films. Last year I created a family version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” for our family and emailed copies to our relatives.

JibJab has various holiday themes already loaded on the site. You can make movies, cartoons and electronic greeting card. There is even a library of specialized certificates and awards that can be created and downloaded for printing and framing.

The process is easy and requires you to have no special computer prowess. You will need a computer connected to the Internet. After going to JibJab.com you will be prompted through all the steps. You will need to have stored on your computer copies of photographs of the people you want to feature in your creations. It is best to have pictures with close ups of the faces you want to use as it is only the head and face portion of the pictures that will be used.

There is a free version and a subscription version of the JibJab service. The annual subscription is only about $10 and provides more features than the free version.

There are other similar sites that you might find, but the JibJab site seems to be the easiest and least expensive to use. Give it a try and add some creativity to that next holiday party invitation or greeting.

The End of a Love Hate Relationship

I have to tell the truth. There is another woman in my life. Don’t worry. My wife, a very understanding and open person, knows about her. This woman who has been with me for years has helped me so much. She is knowledgeable, precise, and articulate and has the patience of Job. Nevertheless, she can also be a source of utter frustration. In fact, I have decided that I am going to end my relationship with her. I would rather spend this time with a man.

The woman in question is locked inside my GPS. There she remains ready at a moment’s notice to help me find my way. She has an Australian accent (I programmed her that way since it makes me feel cosmopolitan as I drive around southern Ohio), but that will soon change.

My decision to end this relationship comes after completing a recent road trip to the east coast. Don’t get me wrong, she was always there. She offered her directions. But her inflexibility is nothing short of maddening. Here is an example.

I have taken this same trip several times. Since it requires that I get to West Virginia, I have found that taking the AA Highway from Alexandria, KY to Grayson, KY, a diagonal route through Kentucky, is better than routing through Lexington or southern Ohio. She strongly disagrees. As I drove on the AA highway, she continued to try to get me back into Ohio. I think she may be “on the take” from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

I think that the most irritating thing about her is her patient but condescending tone. Her mantra “Recalculating …make a U–turn in .5 miles” is still burning in my ears. I figure that it is time for a change so I am going to let her go and program my GPS with a guy’s voice and see if that helps.

I think my wife will be relieved; she was beginning to question my sanity as I continued a dialogue, often heated, with “Sweetie.” That’s right; I do have to call her something. So I have to decide if my new best friend will be an American or not. Perhaps if I make him a German our relationship will be better. I don’t speak German. “Thanks for the advice, Günter, but I am taking the AA highway anyway.”

Google and Sony Partner

Just when you thought you finally figured out all the options you have to watch TV, another new category of devices and services comes on the market. So was the case earlier this month when Google announced that they had partnered with Sony to develop and market a TV that is essentially the “Swiss Army Knife” of living room TV viewing.

For years pundits have been predicting the eventual merging of the various television and media services into one box. Up until now only the most technically adroit among us with ample wallets could afford and actually use the first generation hybrid devices. Google and Sony promise to change that.

I have written often about the various video services that are now available to most of us. Gone are the days when our choices for viewing were controlled by broadcasters, cable/satellite companies or the video store. The Internet has changed all of that since it levels the distribution playing field. Programs can be sent directly to the viewer whenever they want to watch.

One of the negative by-products of this explosion in choices is the ability to keep track of what is available. It is like drinking water from a fire hydrant … it might quench your thirst but the experience is not pleasant. The TV viewing choices are so vast that if there was a printed “TV Guide” containing all the channels and programs it would have be the size of the New York City phone book to list a single week’s offerings.

Google TV promises to do much more than only physically connecting all of your sources of programming such as over-the-air broadcasting, cable, satellite and the Internet. It has an easy-to-use interface that allows you to know what is available and to actually watch or record the programs. Perhaps this is the most important development.

The Google TV also allows you to access the non-video services on the Internet such as facebook, Cincinnati.com and even email. Recent studies show a significant increase in people who report that they watch TV and surf Internet simultaneously. Whether a single screen device will prove to be adequate remains to be seen.

As the Internet becomes more robust and more households get increased data delivery speed, TV will continue to migrate from the traditional distribution services. Will this improve the quality of the programming and reduce the costs? That remains to be seen. I, for one, am not holding my breath.

Bits, Bytes & Water Don't Mix

It happens more often than you might think. Now that cell phones, digital cameras, MP3 players and other assorted digital gizmos are shrinking in size, they are also winding up getting damaged by getting wet. Some end up in the laundry because they were hiding undetected in a pocket. Others slip out your hand and into the bathroom sink or the other less delicate bathroom water and waste receptacle. A phone kept in the pocket of someone who is working hard or exercising vigorously can also get wet from perspiration. There is also, of course, the device that was left out in the rain.

Unfortunately digital devices and water do not mix well. The circuits in these sub miniature devices are so compact that even a small amount of moisture can render an expensive mobile smart phone useless and the owner feeling anything but smart. Other than making a trip to the store to buy a new one, is there anything that can be done to save these waterlogged digital paper weights and or save the information locked inside?

If your device gets wet, the first thing to do is get it dried out quickly. If possible, remove the battery and gently towel off any visible water. Place it in a container that you can seal with a lid and cover the entire device with regular rice (skip the Rice-A-Roni), seal the container and let it stand for 24 hours of so. Do not try to help by heating it up in an oven or with a hair dryer. Room temperature is just fine. Do not use salt or other household chemicals as many are corrosives.

After about 24 hours, remove from the high tech casserole and insert the battery and if it works you smile and go on with your life. If it doesn’t, it is time to get a new one.

Even if the device is ruined the pictures, addresses and other information locked inside can often be retrieved. If the device uses an SD card or SIMMS card, they can be removed and most often all the data transferred to a new device or your computer. Even if it has non removable storage, you may still be able to retrieve your information.

Many mobile phone providers offer a free back up system that regularly sends all the data in your phone to a central server. So if you do loose your phone, damage it or just want a new one, the information can be reloaded. You may have that feature and not know it; you need to ask your retailer.

In general, the advice given about computers is salient here to. Back up your information. Sign up for a back up plan when you buy your cell phone. Make copies of all your MP3 music files and store them both in the device and in your computer. When you finish taking those pictures, remove the SD card or make copies of all the pictures on your computer.

Many of us rely more and more on these tools to make our life easier. Without back up, they can make our life miserable.

eReaders Worth Another Look

leMany of us are beginning to spend more time indoors as the weather turns cooler, and for some that means we will have more time to read. I thought that this might be a great time to review the various options for eBooks readers. An eBook reader is a digital device that allows you to read eBooks and periodicals. The term eBook refers to a variety of texts and images that are presented in digital form and able to be read on a computer or on other digital devices such as an eBook reader. Like so many new products, the first one to market often becomes the recognized moniker. So, many people refer to all eBook readers as “Kindles.” Actually Kindle, an Amazon.com product, is only one of several devices that fall into this categoy.

Beside Amazon’s Kindle and Kindle2, Sony has a product called PRS-700 and Barnes and Noble offers the Nook. While not an eReader, Apple’s iPad and other tablet compters coming to market can also be used to read eBook files.

When selecting an eReader, foremost in your selection criteria should be the quality of the display screen and how comfortable you are reading text for long periods on the screen. There are two main types of screens. In my opinion, the screens that use eInk technology are the best. Unlike the traditionl computer screens that are lighted from behind, eInk screens form the words on a white background just like a printed page. This makes the text readable in bright sunlight but does not strain your eyes if you are in low light areas. eInk is as close to real paper and ink as you can get. The Kindle, Nook and PRS-700 all use eInk technology. The iPad and other tablet computers use traditional back-lit screens.

Another feature that you should consider is how the files are loaded into the device. Some require that you have a hard-wired or wifi internet connection. Others use the 3G mobile networks. The Kindle uses the latter and makes loading books and periodicles a cinch. While it uses the 3G mobile network, it is transparent to the user meaning that you don’t need to subcribe to any new service. The Kindle does this in the background. So if you want a book from Amazon.com, you select it and it is atomatically downloaded.

Finally, be sure the eReader that you choose is able to read all of the various formats of eBooks. While all can read the most used commercial formats, there is a format called ePub. It is being used by libraries to distribute free material. As of this writing, all but the Kindle products can read ePub files.

More and more books are becoming available in electronic form and even college textbooks are adopting the format. The ease of reading, ability to have several books at your fingertips without the need of a large backpack and the lower prices of eBooks make an eBook reader something to consider.

Instant Wifi Hotspots

Mobile phones keep getting better and better. Those of us with smart phones (iPhone, Droid, Pre, etc.) have the choice of thousands of applications that can run on our phones. Some are pretty lame and a waste of the time it took for some computer engineer to develop. Do I really need my smart phone to sound like an air horn? There are however some really useful applications that are time and money savers.

Among the myriad of these worthwhile applications now being offered by some smart phone manufactures and carriers is the wifi hotspot feature. I am not referring to the fact that you can access the internet from your phone using wifi hotspots at coffee shops, libraries and other public places. That feature has been around for years. This new application allows your phone to actually create a wifi hot spot. Here is how it works.

Turning on the wifi hotspot program makes your phone a wifi router. If you or a friend has a laptop computer with wifi, the laptop can wirelessly connect with your phone and use the phone’s 3G or 4G Internet connection. In essence, you are almost always able to connect to the Internet even if there is no traditional wifi or hard wired connection available.

This feature does not take the place of a lap top with wireless modem. Many road warriors have a 3G or 4G card built into their laptop since they are often away from the office and beyond traditional wifi range. Since they use it a lot, it is better to have it built in. The smart phone wifi hotspot application is for people who occasionally find the need to connect the laptop to the Internet but don’t want to spend the money for the fairly high monthly fee for the laptop modem.

When I first got my current phone from Verizon, the wifi feature was an extra $40 over and above my data and phone plan. Only a few months later Verizon began to offer the feature for free. I have used it several times and it works great.

You have to check with your carrier to see if they offer the service and you must have a phone that is capable as well. The Palm Pre Plus and the Droid models can run the application. It is interesting to note that the much heralded iPhone does not.

There are a couple things to keep in mind if you do decide to add this application to your phone. Make sure that you know what your plan covers. Some carriers give you a certain amount of data free and then begin to charge if you go over your allotment. If you have a few friends all connected to the Internet through your phone, you will use a lot of bits and bytes very quickly.

Also, the circuitry in the phone that allows this feature is very power hungry. My phone can only operate in this mode for about 1.5 hours. You can, of course, keep it plugged into your car or charger and use it without running down the battery.

So the next time you are on vacation at the beach or in a cabin in the woods, you can still stay connected. But again, you can also choose to turn it off.

Why Can't Duke Keep the Power On?

Well, it happened again. I came home from work today and sure enough the clock on the stove and the one on the microwave announced that again we had a power outage. I’m not sure if the hamsters at Duke’s generating plant got tired or a misdirected squirrel got toasted in the lines. All I know is that we lost power … again!

Now I realize that I live on a semi-rural road, but Harrison Township is hardly considered the boondocks (unless, of course, you happen to live in Hyde Park…but that’s another story). I have not done a scientific survey and I have not documented every outage, but I can say that there are more power outages in our area than there should be.

My wife and I joke about it. The sky turns dark, the clouds billow and before the rain falls or the lighting brightens the sky, off go the lights and the computer and the TV and clocks and the stove and... Clear days and peaceful nights are not immune to these interruptions of our power. In fact, most seem to happen when Mother Nature is on her best behavior.

It is not just my house. My office is across the street from one of Duke’s two main distribution sub stations serving all of downtown Cincinnati. There, too, the power goes off several times a year.

For sure the big rain storms will happen and the errant driver hitting a pole can’t be prevented. Those are not the outages I am complaining about nor the once in a century wind storm of September 2009. It is the almost weekly interruptions that are driving me up the proverbial tree.

So why is this happening? One would think that with our level of technology such interruptions would be the exception, not the rule. I really don’t know for sure, but I have a hunch. I think that a high level of prevention and infrastructure improvements have fallen victim to the bottom line. Expenses for these things really don’t immediately help Duke’s profit. With companies looking for the short term gain, long term costs can get put aside. This is especially true when the consumer has no option. We aren’t going to make our own electricity. Switching to another provider doesn’t help since Duke and Dominion or any other provider still must use Duke’s lines and distribution system.

So what are we to do? Where did I put that flashlight? Thanks for letting me vent.

TV on the Go

With college and professional football season in high gear, the newspaper supplements and direct mail advertisements are full of new ways to “keep up with the game” while on the road. Mobile TV, Flo TV, and other technologies are the new “must haves.” While the devices and the programming may at first glance seem familiar, they are very different from what you use today to watch TV.

Most providers of these services are touting the fact that you can watch hundreds of TV programs anywhere you wish. While these claims are often true, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you decide to sign up.

First of all, you want to be able to watch the programs so you need to have a phone that supports these video services or a special stand alone receiver. The receivers come in various flavors. There are models for hand held use, table top viewing, or for in-car installation.

The services employ different transmission technologies from those used by regular broadcasters or cable providers to send TV channels to your home. The mobile devices required for these services can not be used to watch regular TV channels and visa versa. Since the small portable receivers look very much like the battery operated mini DTVs that have been available for years, one could presume that you can use the new and old devices interchangeably. You can’t.

You can’t receive these services in all areas of the country, so before you sign up ask to see the coverage area map. Even if you are located in an area that is indicated on the map as being “covered,” you may wish to take a loaner device and make sure. The channels are broadcast using some of the same technologies used by mobile phones and wireless broadband and, as such, are prone to many of the same reception issues.

There is a growing catalog of channels and programs offered by the leading TV services like ABC, CBS, ESPN, CNN etc. Some of the programs are the same as you will see on regular broadcast channels while other programs are developed especially for the small screen size of the portable devices.

Some of the services require a multi-year contract and a monthly fee. Many mobile carriers like Verizon, AT&T and Sprint offer the service as an add-on. Depending on the programming package you chose, you can expect to pay between $15 and $50 extra per month on top of your regular mobile bill.

In a couple years, as more bandwidth becomes available and transmission technologies become more reliable, there will be other mobile TV services coming on line. Also look for devices that can receive multiple formats to be available, so you won’t need a bag full of different devices in order to watch the various services.

Online Info Requires Critical Analysis

One of the truly wonderful aspects of the Internet is the fact that we can find information quickly about almost any topic. At light speed from almost any location, a pub or library, we can find answers to questions of critical or trivial importance. Google has become a household word. Each day millions of us search for information and in seconds we get answers to our queries which once would have taken hours or even days to retrieve. Wikipedia has replaced the iconic Britannica or World Book as the place to go when in doubt.

News reporting, too, has undergone exponential change in the speed with which it delivers facts and opinions. There is no question that we have more news and information. There is no question that we have it faster and in a more convenient form. There are, however, big questions about the veracity of that information.

Earlier this month Mike Wise, a Washington Post reporter, posted a fake report on his Twitter account to demonstrate how quickly such a report would be picked up by online news aggregators and published without any verification of its content. The post on his Twitter feed, @MikeWiseguy, was a reference to the length of the suspension handed down to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as a penalty for an offseason Georgia nightclub indiscretion. Even though it had not yet been determined by the NFL, within minutes his tweet was picked up as “fact” by several respected news organizations. The experiment, while calling attention to the serious inadequacies of online information, also resulted in Wise’s suspension by his employer. The Post saw the stunt as calling the newspaper’s credibility into question.

Talk to any teacher and they will share with you the challenge they face getting kids to use the Internet with a critical and skeptical mindset. The democratic approach of information collection and analysis pioneered by Wikipedia is fraught with issues of accuracy. Inaccurate information is not new. For sure all printed material is not factual, but the filter of the time it takes to produce and distribute “hard copy” does make it much different from contemporary digital media.

Wise’s experiment demonstrated that information, regardless of its accuracy, can reach a world wide audience in minutes. Opinion can easily morph into fact. Outrageous claims about a President’s birth certificate or NASA’s fake moon landing become credible to some because they are repeated.

Perhaps the next iteration of online news reporting and information collection will incorporate more checks and balances to assure that facts are facts and opinions are labeled as such. Even if this happens, new media and new online research techniques require our ability to critically question what we read, hear and see on the Internet.

Perhaps the 1993 The New Yorker said it best with the publication of the now famous cartoon depicting a conversation between two dogs in front of a PC. The caption read “On the Internet, Nobody Knows You're a Dog.”

Internet Based Phones Not For Everyone

Just when many of us are getting comfortable using our mobile phones to make calls instead of using the old hard wired land line from “Ma Bell,” another digital twist to this simple task surfaces. I am referring to making phone calls, from your home or cell phone, using the Internet instead of traditional phone networks. The technical term of this technology is “Voice Over IP” or “VOIP” (voice communication using Internet protocol).

The traditional hard wired telephone networks have not changed in basic design for years. They are based on having a dedicated wire going from a central office to each phone on the network. You have a wire connecting your house to the network and all your neighbors on the street have separate wires as well. Voice over IP uses the Internet so your calls and your neighbors’ calls and your kid’s Facebook posting and that YouTube video you are watching and that email being sent to your good friend in Estonia are all sharing the same Internet.

You may have read that Google is the most recent competitor to enter this burgeoning market. Watching late night TV you will see several others. There you will find promotions for magicJack, Vonage, Skype and others. While they are all a bit different, they have in common the use of the Internet for the backbone of the service.

As you consider using one of these services there are a few things to keep in mind. First and foremost, you must have a high speed Internet connection available. In our area for most of us that means you need RoadRunner from Time Warner or ZoomTown from Cincinnati Bell. Also, you must have a computer connected to the Internet and running 24/7 to use the services.

The next important things to remember is that these services are not all the same. For example, magicJack allows you to use the regular telephones in your house to place and receive calls from any phone, traditional hard wired, mobile, or VOIP in the world. Skype uses your computer’s microphone and speakers rather than a traditional telephone handset.

Some of these services are free, others charge for all or some of the features. If you make lots of international calls, there are significant savings. If you like to make video calls to family and friends, some of this technology is wonderful. There is no question that all of our communications will one day flow over the Internet; much of it does already. In my opinion, for the vast majority of us the traditional phone and the mobile phone system is just fine for now. They are inexpensive, reliable and easy to use.

Place Yout Contacts and Calendar in the Clouds

Many of us are trading in our cell phones for new models called “smartphones.” Whether these devices have any more “smarts” than their predecessors is debatable and will be grist for another essay at another time. Nevertheless, for sure there are many very cool applications that can be loaded onto your new phone. Perhaps among the most helpful are connections to your calendar and address book.

While some of us still use paper and pencil to keep track of appointments or the address for Uncle Bud’s news digs, others have loaded all this information onto a computer. While the information is easily changed and updated, it is not always easily accessible. You must have your computer on and with you. Unless you are in an office environment, these two things do not always coincide.

Using your computer, your smartphone, and some free online services, you can have access to all your calendar and contact information anywhere and anytime. And the information will be up to date.

One of the free online services you may wish to consider is provided by Google. In order to take advantage of the service you must have a Gmail email account. Just go to www.gmail.com and follow the sign-up prompts. It should be noted that this new email account does not need to be used as your primary email; you can continue to use whatever service you now have, e.g. Roadrunner, Fuse, Zoomtown, AOL. Once you have established the Gmail account, you can begin to use the Google calendar and contacts features.

Most smartphones will allow you to synchronize the information in your phone with information on your computer or stored on one of these online services. The specific set-up process for this synchronization, while similar, is different for each phone, i.e. iPhone, Droid, Pre-Plus, etc. You will need to read the manual. Most set-ups are fairly straight forward. If you have a problem, get a teenager to help.

Once the phone is “synched” with the online service, any information that you enter into the computer will show up on the phone and any information that you enter on your phone will show up on the computer.

Many of us already have hundreds of addresses and other contact information stored in our address books on our computers. There are software utilities that will allow you to upload all of this information to the Google Contact area so you do not need to re-enter it online. Another great feature is that once your information is uploaded, you won’t have to worry about backing up the files on your computer. Google takes care of that. Also, even if you don’t have your phone, all of this information is available anywhere you can access the Internet.

Setting up these applications will take a few hours but the benefits and convenience of having all this information at you fingertips is worth the time and effort.

More PBS Progams On Line

Remember when you first watched video from the Internet on your home computer? Perhaps it was an attachment to an email or one of the videos posted on YouTube.com. In any case, the pictures and sound were not very good. The size of the image was limited and the movement jerky. Nevertheless, it was cool to see images of your grandkids or your neighbor’s vacation.

Unlike text, the transmission of video on the Internet requires significant bandwidth and fast computer processing speed. Both of these were once the exception but now are common place. So now the grainy, low resolution postage stamp size video images have been replaced with audio and video resolution comparable to what you see on your TV. This has sparked an explosion in video services available to most any computer user. Most are free.

Today there are movie services, high definition YouTube videos, and access to countless TV programs, new and old. Full disclosure here…while I don’t often “plug” services provided by my employer, CET, this week I am going to do just that because it is a really great service.

About four years ago CET conducted a series of focus groups seeking to find out what people wanted from on line services provided by public TV stations. One of the responses often heard centered around the desire to watch popular PBS programs on line and on demand. Nova, Frontline, American Experience, and the News Hour were all mentioned.

At that time, the technology and copyright issues precluded CET from offering most of these programs. The good news is that in a few short years, all that has changed. You can indeed watch these and many other signature PBS and CET programs on line at your convenience and the video and audio are quite good.

Finding these programs is a breeze. Just point your browser to http://www.cetconnect.org/.
On the first page you will see a box on the right side of the screen with a link to the current library of programs available. Clicking on that box is all you need to do.

You can choose from several programs and watch them in their entirety or fast forward to specific segments. You can choose to watch in a small window within your browser or choose a full screen experience. If you have a new flat screen TV with a computer input, connecting your computer to the TV will provide an even better experience.

The catalog of programs changes almost daily, so if you don’t see a program you like today, check it out tomorrow. For a complete listing of all the programs available you can click on the “Programs” icon.

CET is not the only station providing these services. So if you haven’t tried watching video on your computer for a while you may be surprised to see what you have been missing.

Everyone Should Get Off the Grid From Time to Time

I recently spent a week with friends riding my bike. This annual vacation has become a ritual for me as our team members from all over the country assemble for RAGBRAI. This gathering of cyclists is the oldest, largest and longest bicycle touring event in the world. As I was riding this year I became increasingly aware of the impact that technology has had on even this very low tech event. And it is not all positive.

For sure mobile phones have made keeping track of our team members much easier. Almost ten years ago when I first started riding in this event we were using walkie-talkies to keep track of the team. We shared the same channels with thousands of other riders. The cacophony of conversations made any meaningful contact with one another the exception. Cell phones changed that. Cell phones are a good thing. Other high tech tools using GPS technology now allow medical assistance to be dispatched much more efficiently. If you are waiting on the side of some country road for the EMT to arrive, you would agree that this too is a good thing.

Not all of this technology appeals to me. Riding along it was often the case that the peaceful quiet of the countryside was pierced by the sound of a fellow rider’s cell phone demanding to be answered. More often than not it was not a call from a team member looking to meet up. Rather, the conversations centered on the most recent crisis at the office. Protracted conversations about a client’s complaint, a machine’s failure, or a boss’s demands punctuated the otherwise awesome ride.

Here on the rural roads of Middle America was playing out a wonderful example of why all of us need to sometimes get off the grid. I tried hard this year to refrain from checking my office voice mail or using my smart phone for checking office email. Other than calling my wife and sharing some details of the ride, I stayed out of touch.

The always-connected society in which we live has made the work day 24/7. While some would argue that this has increased productivity, others point out that it has exacted a high price in elevated stress. With a world economy and business environment making local time almost irrelevant, many of us do need to modify our schedules and technology has made this possible. But there is a time to just say “No” …to turn it all off.

The next time you go on vacation, for a day or a few weeks, think about leaving the lap top off, the cell phone on mute and your voice greeting message indicating that you are unreachable. To be sure, if you win the lottery or President Obama wants your advice on some pressing world issue, there are ways to find you.

Added 8/24 Here is a great NPR story relating to this issue

LEDs Can Save Your Life

Having just returned from a week of riding my bike across the cornfields of mid-America, I am still very much in two wheel mode this week. While the number of riders in the Harrison area does not compare to the throngs riding with me last week, there is an increasing number of bikes on the streets, roads and trails in our community. Unfortunately, pedal power and horsepower don’t always play nice together. While the bad guy is often the automobile driver, the cyclist is not always in the right.

One of the biggest safety issues with mixing cars and bikes on the same roads is visibility. There are several inexpensive devices that can assist. For about 10 bucks you can purchase a small tail light for your bike. The light uses high intensity LEDs instead of traditional light bulbs. These tiny LEDS are very bright and the circuitry allows you to change the display from a standard red tail light to a pulsating strobe effect. While these lights are made for riding at night, I find that since they are so bright, they can be seen even in bright sunny weather by anyone approaching from the rear. Since one of the often heard comments by car drivers following a bike / car accident is “I never saw him,”
the red strobing light is just enough to get the car drivers’ attention.

There are also very bright white LED headlights available. Again, these lights are intended for riding at night so the cyclist can see the road ahead. In the day they serve the same purpose as daytime use of headlights on motorcycles and more recently on new cars: visibility. I ride a lot in the Harrison area, and on the open roads and hills you can ride at a good clip. My experience is that cars don’t realize you are approaching at 25 mph or more and as a result often pull out in front of you. Seeing a bright white light often gets their attention.

These LED lights are amazing as they are small, light weight, very bright and consume very little power. I use my tail light for months at a time using two standard AAA batteries. While the headlights use a bit more power, a couple of inexpensive batteries will last many hours. This is a small price to pay for safety.

Lightning and Electronic Devices Don't Mix

A friend of mine related that his home was recently hit by lightning and that many electronic devices, from expensive digital TV sets to his garage door opener were “fried.” The more he talked the more the shear power, suddenness and unpredictability of lightning became evident. The extensive damage that the strike wreaked on my friend’s house was made even more remarkable by the fact that he is one of the most knowledgeable electronics professionals in the area and often consulted on protecting sensitive electronic gear from lightning damage. So if it can happen to him, what about the rest of us?

Here in the Ohio Valley, electrical storms happen so often that we pay little attention to them. We have all read about staying off a wired phone and turning off computers and other digital devices. Few of us really do any of those things. In fact, most of us do the opposite. The sky gets dark, the thunder rumbles and we log on to weather.com or go to the TV set to see what the local super duper Doppler mumbo jumbo channel 66 weather radar looks like.

The power of lightning is nothing short of awesome. A single bolt can pack thousands of amps, have a temperature hot enough to turn sand into glass and reach speeds approaching the speed of light. Obviously lightning is not something to be messed with.

There are things that you can do to lessen the possibility of damage from a strike. There are buildings and tall towers that get struck several times in a single summer storm without incurring damage. They have protection. The simplest protection has been around for more than 100 years. You see it today on old farm houses and barns: lightning rods. They serve a very simple function. Lightning seeks to go to the ground and the most direct and less restricted path will be followed. Most of us don’t have lightning rods, but some of us do have roof top TV antennas. Make sure that they are grounded. If you don’t know how, find a professional to do it for you.

While the inexpensive power strips will provide some protection for your computer or TV from a lightning bolt traveling along the power circuits in your home, a direct hit can jump right through the strip. If you really want to protect the devices, they need to be unplugged from wall or power strip. Since our electric grip is so interconnected, a strike on a power line several miles away can produce surges in your incoming power from Duke Energy. The power company has been marketing a new service that attaches a surge protector to the incoming power lines. Contact Duke for details.

For sure, staying off a hard wired phone is a good idea. Your mobile phone is OK to use since it is no more likely to be struck than your body.

Use common sense and remember you have a better chance of winning an Olympic Medal that you do of being struck by lightning.

"You Need a Cable For That!"

OK, you researched all the brands, looked at all the reviews and found the very best price for that new flat screen 56 inch HDTV. You are now standing with the salesperson ready to fork over those green backs, or more likely a piece of plastic, and there is one more thing.

“You’re gonna need a cable for that ya know,” mumbles the salesperson. That’s right, in order to connect that new HD TV set to your cable box, Blue Ray DVD player or other digital device, you need special cables. Called HDMI cables, these short wires have special connectors on each end. You will need one cable for each component.

The salesperson will suggest that since you just forked over a month’s pay for the new TV set, you will want to make sure that you use “the best cable possible” so the picture is sharp and the audio crisp and static free. “Best” of course in the salesperson’s mind is also the most expensive. So you look at the display of cables and see that a three foot long rubber wire with two small connectors has a price of $75.00. There is another one with gold plated connectors for only $100.00. In theory gold is a superior electrical conductor. And you thought that the TV price gave you sticker shock.

The truth of the matter is that for most applications, there is no difference between the results you will get using a $15 HDMI cable or a $200 HDMI Cable. For most of us, one end of the cable will be plugged into the TV set and the other end into the DVD player or cable box and left that way for years never to be removed. So why pay a fortune for a cable that is heavy enough to tow your car?

There is one application that may require a heavier cable with more robust connectors and that would be an HDMI cable which you will use to connect a game system, lap top computer or other device that will be plugged in and out often. You will want a cable that has a heavy duty connector. There are several small contacts inside the plug that can come loose with repeated use, so a strong connector will hold up better than a less expensive cable.

For most of us mere mortals, the fact that the HDMI connector contacts are plated with gold has no discernable bearing on the quality of the pictures or sound. It adds to the price. The only added value I see comes in the form of your bragging rights. You can tell your “has-everything” neighbor that you have gold platted HDMI cables. Your spouse may on the other hand have a much different reaction to paying 100 bucks for a piece of wire.

Keep Your Car and Mind in Gear

Hardly a day passes without some new report or study being released about the dangers of using mobile phones while driving. While texting seems to get most of the headlines, just talking on the phone while driving can be quite distracting. In the spirit of not throwing the first stone, I will admit to taking a call now and then while behind the wheel. I do try to make them brief but that is really not much of an excuse.

Many phones today have what is called “Bluetooth” technology. This allows for hands free operation either by using a wireless earpiece or an interface with your car’s radio. Both allow you to keep your hands on the wheel and at least potentially keep your mind on driving. Unfortunately, you can keep your hands on the wheel but your mind still is distracted.

I give a wide berth to drivers I observe to be deep in conversation. Several times I have followed cars from downtown Cincinnati all the way to Harrison with the driver deep in conversation, hands gesturing, head bobbing, car drifting right and left.

It is not just the highway where the danger lurks. I regularly jog over the lunch hour in downtown Cincinnati and Over the Rhine. I have lost count of the times that I have the right of way with the walk signal at an intersection only to have a driver look right through me and make a right turn into my path. Cell phone in hand, mouth in gear, brain somewhere else.

It is most likely not practical to think that all of us will check our phones at the front car door. There are some things that you can do to lessen the distraction.

Keep the conversation short. “Let me call you back” is an OK response. Never reach for that pen. Most phones record the number of the incoming caller. I won’t even mention texting. If you find yourself sending or reading text messages while driving, consider having your head examined by a professional ASAP.

Remember, just because you are not holding the phone in your hand does not mean that you are not distracted. Remember that thought the next time you are driving home from Cincinnati to Harrison on I-74 and you find that your next exit is Batesville-Oldenberg. “Let me call you back!”

If It Works, It's Obsolete

The recent antenna problem that seems to be plaguing the new Apple iPhone 4 is certainly not an isolated case. It seems that more and more high tech products develop major flaws right out of the box. We have cars that suddenly accelerate, computers that loose your data, and television sets, once the very paragon of reliability, now have pictures that freeze and look like high tech jig-saw puzzles. I joke with my wife when she laments all the issues with her computer, phone or the TV remote. I just suggest to her that she needs to lower her expectations.

Seriously, it seems to me that this problem of reliability is getting worse and I think I know why.

Perhaps the leading cause of these problems is the complexity of even the simplest of devices. Digital controls and embedded software, once only found in the components of the likes of the Space Shuttle, today find their way into your refrigerator, toaster and coffee maker. Often the features that are made possible by these complex controls are helpful, but too often the Swiss Army Knife approach to adding features can lead to problems. It is one thing to have a refrigerator that knows when to defrost itself. It is another thing to have it automatically contact the store and order a new bottle of mustard when the one on the second shelf is half empty. The problem comes when the mustard ordering feature problem also shuts down the entire refrigerator.

Perhaps more problematic is the fierce competition and rush to get products to market. It seems that the concept of lab and field testing of products before selling them is a novel concept for many. Instead of setting up a panel of consumers to test and evaluate products, many companies now release the product and let those who purchase the product find the problems. So Steve Jobs is able to identify his phone’s propensity to drop calls now that consumers are actually trying to use it. The result of that research will no doubt be integrated into version 2.0 of the iPhone but the people who bought the first model are left holding the bag …or the phone.

For sure, many problems can be fixed with a new software download and as anyone who uses a computer or smart phone knows this happens all the time. Because of this “we can fix it in version 2” mentality, early adopters must be very careful.

A few years ago I came across a quote by Marshall McLuhan that I think sums it up: "If it works, it's obsolete."

Unfortunately There Is An App For That

Just a few weeks ago the whole e-world was buzzing about the release of the iPhone 4. Lines formed days in advance so that e-geeks of all stripes could be the first on their block to have the very newest smart phone. Heaven forbid you would have a phone still operating on a 3G network even though 4G networks are still quite scarce.

Droids, iPhones, the Pre and many other models have become the “must have” electronic device and with these smart phones come all types of applications software or apps. Some apps are nothing short of awesome, others border on the ridiculous. The list of available apps grows by the hour as software developers in offices and in basements throughout the world write apps for phones.

The term “smart phone” is becoming a real misnomer as the devices do so much more than make phone calls. In fact, for many models, making a phone call may be the one application that the device does not do well. That may be the topic of a future essay.

There are a number of basic apps that you may wish to download to your phone. Most cost less than 5 bucks and can download and install in less than five minutes. For the iPhone they all must pass the Apple “good housekeeping seal of approval” before they are released.

While the Droid, Pre and other less popular phones have plenty of apps, the number doesn’t come close to the iPhone offerings. Nevertheless, you can get the most helpful apps for most any phone.

Right now on my Pre Plus I have an app that gives me the local weather, keep me abreast of local and national news, plays music from various radio stations, displays my current location on a map and helps me tune my guitar. Of course, I also have my calendar and address book loaded as well.

I have a friend who has hundreds of apps loaded on his iPhone and delights in wowing his friends by using his iPhone as a flute or imagining himself on the bridge of the starship Enterprise using his iPhone as a tricorder. Not my cup of tea, Captain Kirk.

The smart phone is quickly becoming the Swiss Army Knife of business. The computing power is derived from both the sophistication of the device design and the network to which it is connected. Look for specialized apps in the medical diagnostic field to come to market soon. Who knows, the next time you call your doctor he or she may be able to check out all your vital signs via your phone. Perhaps that tricorder isn’t such a bad idea.

Instant Slide Show

Every so often there comes along a product that catches my eye. Not that I need it and not that I would buy it, but it is just a neat product. So it is with the Nikon Coolpix S1000 pj digital still camera.

This pocket size digital camera has most of the features of any mid-priced camera and is offered by Nikon, one of the world leaders in camera technology. It has a good lens and bright built in LCD viewing screen. The 12.1 megapixel resolution provides clear bright digital images. It is a very good basic camera.

What sets this camera apart from most others is not how the camera captures photos. Rather, it is what the S1000 pj can do after you take the shots. Like most digital cameras it stores the images on a SD card. Unlike most cameras it also has a built in projector so you can use a wall or screen to display the photos. The image can be projected with reasonable quality up to about 40” measured diagonally. Of course the darker the room the brighter the image will appear.

Now this is not a projector that will rival displaying your photos on a large flat screen TV or high power digital projector, but it will provide a way to share the party pictures with the crowd without the need for passing the camera around the room and repeating instructions for advancing to the next picture.

Nikon says that you can get about an hour of projection time from a single charge, but I suggest that if you are going to have a long presentation you use the AC adapter rather than the internal battery. It comes with a remote control for advancing the pictures.

The Nikon S1000 pj can be purchased at most electronic stores and on line. List price is about $400 but I have seen many discounted offers. Shop around. Next time your office mate pulls out his wallet with more pictures of his pet goat, you can trump him with a slide show right on his desk. That alone is worth the price.

June is Back Up Awareness Month

Since I no longer have three teen age boys to nag, perhaps I am giving in to my repressed parental urges this week. No, I won’t tell you to be sure to buckle your seat belt (but you should) and I will take out my own garbage. I won’t lecture you about clean underwear and my embarrassment if you get hit by a car. Even though I have written about this often, I am repeating my plea for you to back up your computer files.

June is “Back Up Awareness Month.” Perhaps a better moniker would be “Back Up Unawareness Month,” since according to studies in 2010 only about one in three individuals back up computer files at least once a month. In 2008 it was only one in four so the trend is going in the right direction. Nevertheless, two-thirds of us still don’t back up our files.

The old saw regarding data storage is worth repeating. “It is not a question if your hard drive will fail, it is only a question when.” The hard drive storage in any computer device, lap top, desk top, game system or Tivo, is the most failure prone component. The reason is that it is a mechanical device with moving parts and some very precise movements at that.

In the past, back up was a real pain and often expensive. That is no longer the case. There are several options, some of them very sophisticated, others quite simple.

One of the easiest solutions is to purchase an external hard drive that has automatic back up built in. These drives connect with your computer and every time you create a file a copy is stored both on the internal hard drive and the external drive. Since the likelihood of both drives failing at the same time is remote, this is a good choice. You can purchase one of these drives at any computer store or office goods store for about 100 bucks. Of course this does not help if your have a fire or flood at your house.

In previous columns I have talked about services that literally back up everything you do by connecting your computer via the Internet to a secure, redundant data storage site. Most of these services charge a fee for the service and your computer has to be online. The chief benefit of these services is that your data is always located at another location. So a fire or flood at your house does not wipe out your files.

If nothing else for important records like taxes, bank information or family pictures, make a copy on a CD or DVD. Be sure to store it either in a fire and water proof case or place it in an envelope and ask a friend or relative to keep it for you.

I know I am nagging. Just chalk it up to old age. Oh yes, one more thing. Be sure your socks don’t have holes in them!

Enhance Your Outdoor Living Area With Music

Now that summer is in full swing, many of us will be spending more time outside on our decks and patios. As we move out of our family and living rooms to enjoy the summer breezes, many want to bring along some music to add to the experience.

For sure, the tried and true method of running speaker wire through the walls and in the attic to make these connections is an option. This method can be time consuming and messy. Also, with a wired system the location of the outdoor speakers is fixed, i.e. everyplace you want a speaker must have a wired connection. In my case I have had a set of Bose weather resistant speakers installed on our deck for many years. It has worked well. If, however, we want to move the speakers to another location in the back yard, it will require more wire.

There is a solution that might be a good option for those who may not want to hassle with wiring and time consuming installation. There are several wireless speakers that can be purchased that have great sound quality, run on batteries and can be located as much as 300 feet from the music source. And, since they are wireless you can move them to wherever you want. You can use several pairs of speakers in various locations to play the same music. So if you are having a party on the deck and some of your guests are in the pool or congregating indoors in the family room, all of the speakers can be playing the same audio. If the people move, the music can move with them.

There are several types of wireless systems but all use some sort of low power wireless radio transmission. There is a base station to which you connect the music source, i.e. a radio, traditional stereo unit, mp3 player or iPod. That base station serves as a personal radio station that broadcasts to a limited area. Each of the wireless speakers receives the same signal.

For those who want music in the garden there are even speakers that are in cases disguised as rocks or tree stumps. For those who may have a pond or water feature, you can get speakers that look like a frog. Why? I have no idea.

Some of these systems use Bluetooth technology but these do not provide a wide coverage. Be sure to read the description of how far the signal will travel and purchase accordingly.

Wireless speaker systems can be purchased at most any electronic retailers or on line. My research shows models beginning at about $50 a pair and going up to several hundreds of dollars. In most cases, the more expensive the system the more efficient battery life and sound quality.

Installing a few speakers in the back yard can be a perfect way to make your home retreat even more inviting.

Internet Appliances Finding a Market

Recently, Apple Computer, with its launch of the iPad and before that the iPhone, has given us a look at what “computers” should and will look like. Far from the iconic monitor, keyboard, mouse and big box CPU that many of us grew up with, these new breeds of computing devices are beginning to look like something right out of Star Trek. We are used to having computers buried in the innards of our cars, our microwaves and coffee makers. Now, there are some other special purpose computers coming on the market that may find their way onto your kitchen counter or bedroom night stand.

These devices are small, stylish, inexpensive and simple to use. Their beauty may be in that they do not do everything. Perhaps engineers and designers have abandoned the swiss-army-knife approach to all things electronic.

Sony offers one of these devices called the “dash” personal internet viewer. The dash uses wifi to connect to the internet and, just like many smart phones, can run special purpose applications. The color display touch screen measures about 8 x10 inches. It comes with built in speakers. So you can preprogram it to access the current weather, traffic and perhaps your favorite news service like CNN.com or Cincinnati.com. Of course, it has several clock features as well.

By connecting to web sites like Pandora, you can have your favorite music wake you in the morning. While you can’t send messages to Facebook or mySpace you can review postings on your sites.

Other special use devices that are getting very popular are Internet Radios. These small desk top devices look like a regular radio but they do not receive radio signals over the air. They use the Internet. Most every radio station in the US and many around the world provide their programming to listeners via the Internet. So if your taste in radio programs runs toward Lithuanian Folk Songs, you can listen to all your favorites right from Vilnius. All programs are crystal clear and you don’t need a short wave radio.

Internet radio was once a novelty. Using a regular computer to listen is a hassle since you need to boot up, connect with the Internet and then point your browser to the right address. Internet Radios make it a breeze since they automatically connect to the internet when you turn them on and you store your various internet addresses just like you do with the push buttons on your car radio.

Look for other special purpose computers and Internet appliances to show up on store shelves. Some may look and feel like your favorite lap top but most will be entirely new designs as different as a smart phone is from the black rotary dial phone in your grandma’s hallway.

More Than One Way To Surf The Web

More and more of us are using the web for everything from finding an address or phone number to paying bills and banking. Those tasks, for the most part, can be accomplished without problems. Unfortunately, there are some more complex web applications that are much more prone to failure or intermittent operation. When this happens it can be frustrating.

For most people using Microsoft Windows computers, Internet Explorer is the “browser” of choice. (A “browser” is the software loaded on your computer to allow access to the web.) I guess the word “choice” may not be quite accurate since many may not know that there are others available and those browsers often do a better job than Internet Explorer.

Many find Firefox a great alternative. This software is known as “open source” software meaning that computer programmers all over the world can modify and improve it without having the Microsoft legal team increase their billable hours.

You can download the Firefox software free at http://www.mozilla.com/. Downloading and installing it on your computer takes only a few minutes. I have both Internet Explorer and Firefox loaded on all my computers and I often find that if I am having a problem with retrieving content, especially video and graphics from the web, just using the other browser fixes the problem.

There are other options. Google has a browser called Chrome. It is much newer than either Internet Explorer or Firefox and has yet to gain a lot of use. It can be downloaded free from www.google.com/chome. I have used Chome only sparingly. It does have a snappy look, but I did not find it any better that Firefox.

Finally let’s look at another option. All of the browsers discussed above have been designed for installation on a Windows PC. Many people have adopted a Mac platform and as such have been using the Safari browser developed by Apple. Safari is also available in a version that runs on a Windows PC. Like many products coming from the land of Steve Jobs, Safari is a clean, speedy browser that allows the user to have several web pages open at once and visible as panes on the screen. It can be downloaded free from Apple at www.apple.com/safari/ Downloading takes only a few minutes but setting up the various video configurations may take longer since Windows Media files and Flash Media files are not embraced by the folks at Apple.

Having more than one browser on your computer is a good idea and any of the ones listed above are good choices and are free.

A Cloudy Future for Personal Computing

A few weeks ago I wrote about the proliferation of world wide computer networks and how they have both improved the services that we use every day and also provide ample opportunity for hackers and other miscreants to disrupt these systems. For better or worse, the trend of concentrating data and computing power on large networked servers located at strategic locations is exploding. The phenomenon is called “Cloud Computing.”

Once home and office computers were designed to handle all of your tasks with internal computational power and the data storage housed within your machine. Ads for new computers touted large capacity disk drives and faster processing power. Today you will see advertised netbooks, smart phones and other devices with relatively small internal storage capacity and modest internal processing power because the programs and data are not stored on the actual machine. Rather, the data are sent to the “cloud” via the internet and the actual programs are running on remote computers.

The benefits of cloud computing are many. First, since all your data, i.e. documents, pictures, videos, addresses and calendars, are not stored solely on your machine but are sent to the cloud, the data is much less prone to loss. A recent study found that fewer than 10% of home computer users back up their data on a regular basis. Since the weakest component in most computers is the disk drive, it is inevitable that you will loose your data if it is not backed up regularly. With cloud computing the data is sent to servers that are redundant and backed up constantly, and the data is safe.

It is not only data that can be stored on the cloud, programs too can be stored there and actually run remotely. Since the size and complexity of these programs is irrelevant to the capacity of your machine, they can provide many more features. Also, they can be continuously updated and improved without the need for sending updates to millions of computers.

Finally, while any data on the net is susceptible to hackers, the operators of these cloud datacenters are much more adroit at foiling these intrusions than most of us mere mortals. While it is not impossible for hackers to retrieve your private data from the cloud, it is very unlikely. A good hacker is more likely to get information from the computer on your desk than she can from a secure databank.

The new version of Microsoft Office was just released and one of the touted features is ease of using cloud computing. Since documents can now be sent to the cloud, collaboration is made easy. Several people, separated by thousands of miles, can work on the same documents and presentations in real time.

Google, Microsoft and others offer free or almost free cloud data storage. You can see an example at http://www.skydrive.com/. There you can sign up for free storage of up to 35 mb of information.

As networks, both wired and wireless, get faster and faster and access is more ubiquitous, look for cloud computing to become the standard.

Your Computer & Audacity Make a Great Recorder

Most often I try to write about topics that will be directly applicable to my readers. This week we will look at some free software and inexpensive hardware that may not have direct utility for you, but if you share this information with your teenaged grand kids, nieces or nephews, or the kid next door, you will certainly be looked at as a tech-savvy, albeit still old, cool person.

The explosion in the computing power of even the most inexpensive lap top or desk top computer is amazing. In reality we use very little of the processing power of these machines for routine tasks of surfing the net and sending email. How about using that lap top as a very good quality audio recording studio complete with multi-track overdubbing and CD mastering? Any budding garage band will jump at trying this out and since you suggested it, you will be dubbed “cool.”

Start by downloading the free software from http://audacity.sourceforge.net. This is a free package and safe to install on your computer. Once installed there is an easy set up, but before long you will have a very sophisticated audio recording system that will allow you to record and edit individual tracks and overdub multiple tracks so a single musician can play multiple parts and you can edit them all into one recording. You can then make a CD or MP3 file.

The Audacity software also allows you to record from other sources so you can use it to transfer vinyl LPs and even audio cassette tapes to MP3 or other digital files for playback on your iPod. The features in this free package are in many ways superior to some of the commercial recording software packages costing two hundred dollars or more.

Of course, to record live music you need a microphone. The microphones that are built into lap tops or come as plug-ins for desk top computers are not very good. You will want to use a good quality microphone. There are several good microphones now available starting at about fifty bucks that have a USB connector that can be plugged directly into the computer. Check out www.Amazon.com or stop by the Music Shoppe.

If you already have a microphone with a standard XLR connector, and many garage bands do, there are adapters available that modify that XLR connector making it a USB connector and able to be plugged directly into the computer. Again, these can be purchased on line or locally at the Music Shoppe. If Brian doesn’t have it in stock, I am sure he can order it for you.

I have used Audacity for a couple years and I continue to be impressed with it. It is only available for PCs running various iterations of Windows. There is no Mac version. The web site has a lot of tips and the community of users is very free with a helping hand. Oh yes, if that garage band records in the garage next door, there is a headphone jack on most computers.

Home Network Options

Many of us have installed wireless computer networks (Wi-Fi) in our homes and small businesses. The ease of sharing a single Internet connection or a printer is a real convenience. Also, Wi-Fi allows those with other Internet enabled devices like smart phones, iPods and iPads to connect to the outside world. And of course since Wi-Fi is wireless, being able to freely move around your home with your lap top or iPod is really great.

For those who want a home network but do not want to use Wi-Fi, the only option up to now was to run special wiring to various rooms in your home and install network jacks. This wiring is called CAT 5, which stands for Category 5, an electrical engineering designation. For new construction, running these thin cables is no big deal. Running them through walls and floors in older homes can be a real pain.

There is an option. There are devices that can connect all your computers, printers, scanners and Internet connection using the existing wires in your home which are being used for your electrical service. That’s right; the same receptacle into which you plug your living room lamp can also be used as a high speed data connection.

The technology used is the same that some major utility companies like Duke Energy have offered, albeit on a limited basis, to provide Internet access to customers without the need for cable TV, fiber or telephone wires.

There are a number of companies that sell the special router and adapters. You can get product information at www.Homeplug.org. There you will find information on various applications.

This type of home network is not for everyone. If you are a power-user who is using the network to send video files to the TV and store HD television programs on a central server, this is not for you. Also, if you want to use your smart phone or other wireless internet devices, this solution will not work for you. On the other hand, if you have two computers and a printer that you want to connect or just want to share a single internet connection, this might be a good option.

Networks A Mixed Blessing

Many years ago at the dawn of what we now call the digital age, Thomas Watson, then CEO of IBM, was alleged to have opined, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” While this was a misquote of a very shrewd business leader, the substance of this observation is not too far off the mark. More and more computers and other digital devices need to be interconnected in order to provide all the services now available at home, at work or on the road. The need for processing power built into the individual devices, be it a netbook, a smart phone or an iPad, is lessening as all of these devices are now interconnected via networks and the Internet. Indeed there are relatively few large super computers serving up information and services. The power of the internet is in the connectivity.

While this “distributed power” of networks and the Internet is a enabler of our world economy and our modern lifestyle, it is also our “Achilles Heal.” In his new book, Cyber War, Richard Clarke warns that warfare in the future will not be fought with bombs, guns or even unmanned aircraft. Rather, he notes, our foes are building new forces and weapons aimed at our computer networks. This cyber-arms build up is largely unnoticed by the public. Nevertheless, it is posing a danger of premeditated or accidental cyberwar, which in turn could trigger violent conflicts across the globe.

In conflicts of the past, warring armies concentrated on destroying bridges, rail lines, and highways as they were all needed for a country to carry on day to day commerce. Today with almost all of our daily routines dependent on computer networks and the Internet, the target of our foes has changed. The systems controlling the phone calls we make, the electricity flowing into our homes, the money from the ATM, and even the water used to brush our teeth in the morning, all rely on computer networks. This is the new ground zero.

Few of us using home or office computers have been spared the irritation and inconvenience of viruses. Even with software to detect them, some continue to get through wreaking havoc on our personal data. While this is a hassle, it pales in comparison to the results of a failure in one or more of these national and international networks. Clarke points out that the military has in place isolated networks protected from outside attack. That is not the case with most businesses, utilities and financial institutions They share the same Internet with us mere mortals . So a cyber warrior may be able to turn off the lights in a major city using the same network as the teen hacker uses to place compromising photo of his principal on his school’s webpage.

In the not too distant future, the military might of a nation may well be vested in the computer engineers and programmers rather than in fighter pilots and physical armaments.

Open Office Worth A Second Look

The prices of desktop and lap top computers continue to be very affordable. There are net books available for about $250 and desktops loaded with features for not too much more. Once you make the purchase you are often in for a surprise. The cost of the necessary software can be as much or more than the hardware. While operating systems like XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 come included in all but the most inexpensive computers, the software required to actually do something productive with your machine costs extra.

Even a basic suite of programs like Microsoft Office (Student Version) which contains MS Word, a word processor, Excel, a spreadsheet program and Power Point, a presentation program, costs about $150. If you want the deluxe edition, the price can go over $500. That is more money than many of us will pay for the new computer.

You may be surprised to learn that you have an option and do not need to purchase these expensive software packages. There are very good programs available free on the Internet. No, they are not pirated versions of Microsoft programs. If you download them you need not worry about seeing a black Chevy Suburban coming up your driveway complete with a contingent of FBI agents led by Bill Gates.

One of the leading free packages is Open Office, a suite of programs that has been developed by some very smart volunteer programmers spread throughout the world. In fact, the code for these programs, rather than being a guarded corporate secrete, is available to anyone who wants to make improvements to the programs. As of this writing there have been more than 100 million downloads of the Open Office software.

The basic package available at www.openoffice.org contains a word processor, spreadsheet program, presentation program, database program and a neat drawing program. All of them are compatible with MS Office. You can read and write files in Open Office and use those files in MS Office and visa versa. Open Office looks and feels much like Microsoft Office. You will find many of the same conventions, icons and tools. If you have used MS Word or Excel, you will need little or no training on Open Office.

Getting Open Office is a snap. Just set your browser to www.openoffice.org and follow the downloading directions. It will take about 20 minutes to download the programs and set them up on your computer.

Open Office has been around sine the late 1990s and is used by people all over the world. Since the development is ongoing there are new features and improvements offered through the Open Office website all the time.

Before you order that new version of MS Office, you may wish to give Open Office a try. What have you got to lose? You can’t beat the price.