May 20, 2012

Moms and the Internet

Now, more than ever, moms are taking advantage of computers, the Internet and all that it has to offer them when it comes to cutting corners and making life easier. Moms have a lot on their plate and it can be tough to balance all of the information, reminders, events and family members that they need to keep straight. Here are a few examples of things mom can use online to stay organized.

Online calendars can keep everyone in a family on the same page, literally. Moms can download calendar programs easily with a FTP software like FileZilla.  Each person can enter in their own information, appointments and events. Dad can mark when he is going to work late and a teenager can mark in the night he would like to borrow the car. At a glance, mom can see where everyone is, what they are going to be doing, and what nights are available for some family time.  And everyone can use File Zilla to download the calendar files to their own computer. This helps everyone in the family with communication.

Moms can menu plan online. There are so many resources that provide moms with menu ideas, grocery lists and the calorie count all in one place. Instead of writing out everyone’s favorites, the recipe, the ingredients, everything is already done. With the click of a mouse, everything prints out. If something doesn’t go over very well, remove it from the list. If everyone loved a certain meal, save it as a favorite.

Finances can also be monitored online. Instead of looking to different websites for account balances and due dates, one financial site can keep everything organized and in order. No more forgetting to pay a bill or transfer money from one account to the next. With reminders, it is possible to know in advance, just what needs to be done. Add in short or long term goals if you want something to shoot for.

Using a Keyboard with a Laptop

If you do a lot of typing on a keyboard, you may find that a laptop’s keyboard can be a hindrance. If you use the Internet or even Microsoft Word to type out documents, attaching a keyboard to your laptop can be a great idea.

Many times a laptop is easy to use, but when you have to sit down for long periods of time and sit up straight at a laptop in order to use the keyboard, that can get quite annoying. Buying a standard keyboard to connect to your laptop is becoming increasingly popular these days.

First, make sure you have the correct ports to connect your keyboard to your laptop. The PS/2 port and the USB port are standard with a keyboard. Make sure these ports are available on your laptop.

You can also opt to go with a wireless keyboard. Many people find this option much easier, as it allows you more wiggle room as to where you can place your laptop compared to your keyboard. If your laptop doesn’t support a wireless keyboard, you can often buy a wireless keyboard that comes with a wireless receiver that you plug into your USB port. The only downfall to a wireless keyboard option is that it can tend to be pretty pricey for a quality wireless keyboard.

You might also want to consider getting a foldable or rolled keyboard. A laptop is known for its portability, and a foldable keyboard is great for being able to take your keyboard on the go. This option tends to be better than lugging around a standard size keyboard.

Before you decide on anything specific model, make sure you read reviews of each kind you are looking at. You want to make sure you get the right keyboard for the kind of computer work you are going to do.

Review of Asus eeePC Netbook

The ECS G10IL is a netbook computer designed b...
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If you are looking for a small computer that is known for its portability, you should try a netbook. The Asus eeePC Netbook is a great portable computer if you are on the go a lot. The netbook comes with the Windows XP operating system home edition.

The first thing to note is that this netbook does not have a full-size keyboard. While the keys are a little bit smaller than a normal keyboard, they are not so small that you would have major trouble typing on.

The battery life for this netbook is 9.5 hours. This allows for long periods of time to go by without having the charge the battery up, depending on what you are doing. While away from the netbook, you can put it to sleep, which will help save a little on the battery life.

The screen size is 7 inches, which is quite smaller than a laptop, but is great for the compact size of the netbook. It also comes with 512MB RAM.

The netbook, like other netbooks, does not have any CD-Rom or DVD drives. In order to play a CD on the netbook, you will need to connect it to an external drive and play it from there. This is one of the drawbacks of the netbook but also distinguishes it from a laptop.

This netbook runs under $400 and is a great deal for someone that is going to use it primarily to chat with people. It is also great for someone that uses it to send and receive documents.

If you know someone that wants a computer just to mainly surf on the Internet, consider getting them a netbook. These portable machines are great to carry around with you, and with the wireless connection it offers, you will never have to worry about making sure you have a good connection.

Making Your Computer Faster

If you have found that your computer is slow, you may need to make a few adjustments in order to clean it up and make it run fast again. There’s nothing worse then trying to do some work or surfing on the Internet and have your computer lag and waste time loading websites or documents.

First, run a virus check on your computer. Open up your anti-virus software and make sure that a virus or worm isn’t infecting your computer and making it slow. If you don’t have an anti-virus program, make sure you download one. There are a lot of free programs available on the Internet for use if you don’t want to pay for them.

Defrag your hard drive. This will help group together similar programs and get rid of the empty space that is taking up room on your computer. By putting all your similar programs together, your computer won’t have to work so hard to find what it needs when you pull up a certain software program.

Get rid of the visual effects you have on your computer. Adding fun and cool things to your computer may make it look nice, but that flashing screen saver you have may be making your computer run slower.

Also, remove any programs that you no longer use. Use the uninstall programs feature on your computer to completely get rid of software that is outdated or not in use by you anymore. This may help free up space and make your computer run faster.

If you aren’t sure how to do any of these, take your computer to a specialist or repair shop and have them clean it up for you. Usually this service doesn’t cost you much, especially if you don’t have any types of viruses on your computer.

Cleaning Up Your Browser

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If you surf the Internet often, you may find that your Internet browser is running slow. This is because every time you go to a website, your computer stores a copy of every image and text in a temporary internet file on your computer. These temporary internet files can add up, resulting in your computer needing a little extra time to work. You can easily clean up these files in order to quicken your Internet browsing experience.

When your computer is on, open up the browser you usually use, which is probably Internet Explorer or Firefox. At the top of the browser will be a command toolbar. From there you will select "Tools", which will bring up a drop-down menu. Select "Clear recent history". That will bring up a box where you can select where you want to delete your history from. Everything should be checked, that way you can totally clean out your history.

You also have the option to clean out your browsing history from the last hour all the way up to everything. If you select everything, then all the websites you have visited will be cleared from your cache. That also means that the next time you visit that particular website, it may take a few extra moments to load because it has to restore all of the picture and images on the website.

If you live with other people and don’t want anyone knowing what sites you went to, this is a great tool to use to clear your tracks. For example, if you are doing Christmas shopping for your kids and don’t want them to look at your history and see that you went to a toy website, clearing the history is the best option.

By knowing how to work your computer, you can use your knowledge to utilize your browsing experience and still have fun.

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Computer Freeze Fixes

If your computer freezes often, it can be a really frustrating experience. There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of working on a document, or even playing a software game, only to have your computer freeze up where you have to restart it again and potentially lose the data you were working on.

Check your computer fan. Many times when the air is not flowing properly, your computer starts overheating causing it to freeze. Make sure your hardware is in a place with good ventilation so that the computer’s fan can properly work, thereby keeping your computer from overheating.

Your computer can also freeze because there isn’t enough RAM or memory in it. The computer then ends up working too hard, especially if you multi-task or have multiple programs open at the same time. This causes the computer to lock up or freeze because it doesn’t know what to do with the data overload. By adding more memory to your computer, you may be able to fix the problem of freezing.

Try running a registry cleaner program on your computer. This program will clean up your Windows registry and pull out all the unnecessary programs that may be causing you problems. It will then offer you the choice of repairing the problems or deleting them.

If your computer constantly freezes and you have tried all these methods, you may need to take your computer to a specialist or repair shop. They may tell you that your computer is bad, or they may be able to fix it for you.

Make sure that if you are going to try any of these methods that you know what you are doing. Don’t try to replace your computer’s fan if you’ve never done it before. Let someone who has experience work on your computer so you don’t make the problem worse.

Computer Repair

If you find that your computer isn’t working correctly, there may be something wrong with it that might need a professional. Sometimes though, many computer repair shops end up charging an expensive fee to look at and fix your computer. If you are wary of going to a computer repair shop, there are a few other fixes you may be able to do from home.

First, look to see if your computer is still covered under a warranty. If it is, then let the manufacturer take a look at it. Not only will you get professional help for your computer problem, you will not be charged for an issue that falls under the warranty. Warranties may seem like a waste in the beginning, but once you get one and a problem happens, you’ll be glad you got that warranty.

Before you take your computer in anywhere, make sure you back up all the data on your computer. You never know what can happen to your operating system or other important documents when you give your computer to someone to fix. So to be on the safe side, make a backup copy of everything.

Depending on your operating system, you may be able to run some tests on your computer to try and figure out the problem yourself. Microsoft Windows has a repair function, where it can run a check on a lot of factors and possibly repair a problem you may be having. Try looking through your computer software programs to see if you can find any kind of a fix program. You may end up saving yourself a lot of money.

If you have to take your computer in to a repair shop, ask your family and friends for a place they would recommend. Check with the Better Business Bureau as well for any reviews they may have.

Cons of the Internet

Graph of internet users per 100 inhabitants be...
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Many people think the Internet is the greatest invention ever made. It gives you access to a massive amount of information from the comfort of your own home. But have you stopped to think what problems the Internet can cause?

Viruses and worms run rampant on the Internet. There are many people that take pleasure in trying to ruin your computer and operating system. They send viruses through email and websites in order to infect computers and obtain personal information like credit cards and bank info.

The Internet can also be a very unsafe place for children. While it’s true that there is so much information that can be helpful to your child, such as being able to study through the Internet, programs like chatting and Facebook can actually harm them.

Many kids these days are taking it upon themselves to meet people over the Internet or even giving out their personal information such as their last name, home address or even phone number. They then open themselves up to predators that try to harm them.

By monitoring what your child does while on the Internet, you are ensuring that they are staying safe and using the Internet for its original purpose: to obtain information.

Many people looking to prey on children will often assume a different name and personality. That is mainly so that they can protect their own identity and create a personality that is closer to the age of your child.

Install nanny software on your computer in order to block and monitor the web sites that your child goes to. Make sure you keep the computer in a public place in the house. Never allow the computer to go into a room where a child can have total privacy. While the child may not like it, you will have peace of mind that they aren’t doing anything they shouldn’t be.

Getting Free Internet Access

Internet Access
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If you are like many people, you may find that Internet access can be expensive in some areas. If you don’t do a lot of work on the Internet, then paying for monthly service isn’t really beneficial to you. Even though you can get a bundle through your cable company that includes cable and Internet, that can even be high in price depending on what kind of package you choose. There are many other options for you to pick from in order to get free Internet access.

Try the library. Many libraries have wireless access as well as public computers that you can use. The library is great because it is quiet, so if you need to get work done you will be able to concentrate. Even if the library doesn’t have a wireless connection, using their public computers is simple and you can even print off information for free instead of paying per page.

Coffee shops are also great for wireless access. Many coffee shops offer this service to their customers in the hopes that they will stay there, surf the Internet, and buy items from their store. As long as you are buying at least a cup of coffee or tea, you will be free to sit and use their Internet all day long.

If you are a high school or college kid, you can use the school’s libraries to access the Internet. This works the same way as a public library, but you will need your school access card to be able to use these services. Some school libraries won’t even let you set foot inside unless you are a current student.

By knowing where to look for free Internet, you will never have to pay a monthly fee as long as you have a laptop and a way to get to these places.

Types of Computer Viruses

ClamTk 4.08 virus scanner running on Ubuntu 9....
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If you own a computer and are on the Internet a lot, you may want to watch what websites you go to, or even who you receive email from. There are many programs out there that will harm your computer and operating system. These programs are called viruses and worms.

Computer viruses are similar to viruses that humans get. They need a host to survive and spread rapidly if given a chance. If you don’t have updated software, then you will never have a chance to remove any viruses your computer might have.

The "I Love You" virus was one that affected the Windows Operating System. It was spread through email. The victim would receive an email with the words "I love you" in the subject box. Once the victim downloaded the attachment in the email, the virus would go to each file on the computer and attach itself to it. It also sent an email to every person on the victim’s contact list.

Conficker is the name of another popular virus. This one replicates itself and spreads in machine servers with Windows operating systems. It will then affect programs like Windows Defender, Windows Update and Windows Error Report. This virus is particularly difficult to get rid of but the most current anti-virus software out there can stop this virus dead in its tracks.

The most important thing to remember is to make sure you don’t have expired anti-virus software. If you were a police officer, you wouldn’t want to be wearing a bullet-proof vest with holes in it. The same goes for your computer. If you protect yourself right from the start and constantly update your computer’s anti-virus software, then you will be ahead of the game when someone sends you a virus they want you to download in order to infect your computer.

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