Columnists

Geek Speak… Another New (But Old) Threat

Issue 25.17

It sometimes seems that I spend about half my time educating people about new viruses or threats to their systems. I often wish I could do more with the examination of new products, basic terminology and nifty ways to use software and technology, and we do get into those things pretty often. However, […]

Geek Speak… Updates and Upgrades

Issue 23.17

We visited about this issue a few months back, but it bears repeating and, with the new importance of making sure your computer has the most recent updates to avoid ransomware and other troubles, should be paid attention to as quickly as possible. An upgrade is a change of version or specific functions […]

Geek Speak… New Ransomware Hitting Millions

Issue 21.17

You may have seen news items about the WannaCryWannaCrypt malware hitting computers around the globe. It is serious and very difficult or impossible to recover from. I will outline how to avoid it, protect yourself from it and possible recovery options – though those are few and far from definite. This program is […]

Geek Speak… CPU and Memory Loads

Issue 20.17

The workhorses in your computer are the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the Random Access Memory (RAM). These two components are what does all the thinking in the computer. The hard drive and associated other storage devices such as external hard drives, flash drives, CDs, DVDs and BluRays are for storage of the […]

Geek Speak: Overheating is the Enemy

Issue 18.17

As we head into the hotter months locally, it brings up the concern of how to keep your computer cool and running smoothly.

The first and most important thing is to make sure the cooling fans in your computer are working well and not clogged up with dust or pet hair. When fans […]

Geek Speak: Leave The Computer On?

Issue 16.17

I have worked with computers for over 30 years and one question that comes up often is whether the customer should leave their computer on or turn it off when they are not using it. Interestingly, the answer has changed over the years and is not the same for all users.

In the […]

Geek Speak… Constant Change

Issue 14.17

We live in a time of constant change and the adoption of new technologies even as old ones fade away. The rate of change is accelerating. I guess I am old, but the new technologies that I saw growing up seemed new and exciting. 8 Track tapes were cool because you could actually […]

Geek Speak… Computer Check-Up

Issue 12.17

I know I will probably lose a few customers by sharing these secrets, but I want my readers to know what they can do to make their computer experience better and solve or prevent problems. Here are a few things you can do to optimize your computer safely without having to pay for […]

Geek Speak… Pinterest

Issue 10.17

Just about anyone who uses computers knows what it is to “google” things. Searching for information on our PCs is a daily thing for most of us. We just put in a word or phrase to a search engine and use the results to find the information we are looking for, be it […]

Geek Speak… Entertainment on the Computer

Issue 8.17

It seems lately we always have to discuss the latest threat or some other problem. Today I want to focus on one of the reasons we use these machines in spite of the troubles we sometimes have.

There are a lot of fun and informative things you can do with your computer, tablet […]