Yikes. You just can’t trust anybody anymore, eh? This video is a news expose from Canada about the crooks in the computer repair industry. Only 3 repair guys out of 10 got the diagnosis right. Most repair estimates were waaaaay over-diagnosed, and waaaaay, waaaay over-priced. ($2,000?!?!?!)

It really pays to know your computer! Or, at least have a trusted friend or family member to rely on.

I’m blessed. I have a natural affinity for discovering “how stuff works,” and I like computers. I grew up in the 1970s and 80s, just before personal computing was taking off. I got my first computer in 1999 (I inherited a 1984 Macintosh!), and the next year I got a Windows 3.1 and a Windows ME- yah, the big time! So for the past eight years, I’ve been learning about software, hardware, and web design. I’ve got a long way to go, as I am completely self-taught; but I am now pretty comfortable sticking my hands into the guts of my computer or tinkering with software applications. But it’s pretty obvious that it pays to know your computer!

Watching this video makes me wonder about car repairs… hmmm….

I’ve been lazy the last three days, not doing a whole lot except cooking, cleaning, and figuring out how to do more computer stuff. My new computer is a 64-bit machine with 64-bit Vista, and it’s taken some getting used to. One thing, not all software works with it, even software installed by Microsoft itself (duh!). One such problem that had me running maniacally around the house, foaming at the mouth, was a codec problem with Windows Media Player and Windows Movie Maker. The durn things just wouldn’t work, even though I tweaked til my brain hurt. I’d purchased a nice little Samsung camcorder a few months ago, and I was determined to make the thing work with my computer! You can read all the techhie details here at my geeky blog, if you are so inclined. Short and sweet version: I was getting 32-bit codecs when I really needed codecs for my 64-bit operating system. Don’t ask me why Microsoft makes you download all this loopy extraneous software when they could very simply include the package themselves! It’s not like they are terribly averse to bloatware and silly things like door hardware!

*insert wild, hysterical screaming*

ANYWAY. I got the Movie Maker to work! I was so happy when at 2am my baggy eyes finally saw success. Yeehaw! Today, I puttered around with the software to give it a test drive. It’s a silly little video of my kitten, Livvy. We had such fun putting this together!

So, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is over. Monday looms, and my work begins again. *sigh*

ooooooooh my aching eyes. I am so sick and tired of staring in front of a computer screen, even if it is a nice 19″ screen. I have been slowly rebuilding my life back on this thing, installing programs and files. I had no idea I had so many programs! My mind is like it’s in the Outer Banks or something…

I spent part of the evening freaking out because my mouse cursor kept sticking and lagging. It had been working just fine up until late afternoon, when it decided to get a mind of its own. It’s a small thing, but it was driving me nuts! So I went on an Internet search, looking to see if I could solve it. I started reading scary things about “graphics cards” and “BIOS updates” and it got pretty dark for a while. I’ve HAD it with BIOS and AMD and CHKDSK! Scenarios of duking it out with the guy at Geek Squad danced in my mind… we just fixed this thing! And now what, tear the computer apart because of a lagging mouse?

I did memory diagnostics, I scanned for spyware, I removed several of the programs I installed today, I switched mouses and reinstalled hardware, I updated the drivers, etc etc. Nothing worked! Finally, I decided to check the mouse settings (for the tenth time). I’d read on one tech forum that disabling “Enable pointer precision” helped the mouse run faster in Photoshop. I went to see if I had this enabled. Nope. Oh well. I then noticed that “display pointer trails” was on. So I clicked it off.

It worked.

Wow.

And to think I was going to drag the computer back to the geeks again. *sigh* I’m going to bed!

P.S. The reason I don’t have graphics in mant of my posts these days is because I haven’t copied my photos and I haven’t punched in my passwords to sites like Photobucket yet. I am amazed at how frequenly I access passworded sites every day– maybe 20 a day?!

OK, oh yeah, I said I was going to bed. Night!

Oh my word, I have been to THOUSANDS of computer and technical sites last night and today. My hard drive died– I say that so easily– it only took me about 10 hours to finally make that determination. :-p I love computers…most of the time. Computers are like that girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead: when she’s good, she’s very, very good; but when she’s bad, she’s horrid. That’s my computer, all right!

Here’s a very cool geeky gadgety site I’ve seen: GeekBro.com. Isn’t that a cool name? It’s so.. so.. geeky and yet so familial. BRO, my GEEK!!

OK. it’s late and my brain is fried. If you like gadgets and browsing a really cool accessories and electronics store, check them out. They have some really neat stuff! I thought their “Buttkicker” is neat, and what a name! They also have a terrific photo and video page with some very nice stuff in there. Mmmm.

Wow, it’s been SO BUSY for me lately, ugh! This is the time of year when everything renews (domain names, web hosting, ISP services, online backup service, me looking for new and better blog themes, etc). Why oh why do I order things all at once, lol?! Well there is a silver lining to all the busy-ness: I found a cool new tech site! It’s Gadget Advisor. And guess what? You don’t need to be a full-fledged geek to enjoy the articles and reviews! I found a terrific post about the top extensions for Firefox (which, by the way, Firefox now working for me– I’d had problems with it hanging– so now I can enjoy all my extensions again!), and a good and comprehensive review on the Logitech universal remote, something I’ve been considering getting since our old one died.

The site is relatively new, but it’s updated just about every day and has loads of stuff already. It’s organized very, very well. I found some great articles, easily. GadgetAdvisor.com centers on the “best of the best” electronics, gadgets (of course), tech news, software, and computer stuff. I like it because it’s for the “average” computer user and not only for the geeks. The articles are well written. And I love reading reviews, so this site is going in my bookmarks. And I just LOVE the Wordpress theme for the site! Now where can I get one like that!!

I’ve looked at the calendar and realized that, since late July, I have spent more time with my feet up (due to the herniated disk in my back) than on my feet. :| UGH. That’s a lot of time laying around. No wonder my gardens are riddled with weeds… Anyone who knows what it’s like to be on bed rest knows that it STINKS after 3 or 4 days. I am a writer– I write articles and advertisements– and do a lot of typing on my computer. It has been a very difficult task, typing while reclining.

While at the doctor’s office, I noticed one of the doctors talking into a handheld recording device. He was talking about someone’s condition and was taking verbal notes onto the recorder, to be transcribed later. I thought, “I want something like that for my computer!” I could talk, and my words could be recorded as type into my computer. Not only would it save loads of time (everyone I know talks faster than they type), it would be so wonderful for someone like me, where typing is almost impossible in a reclined position.

Guess what? Some cool guy already invented such a thing! I am floored by the technology. It’s called Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Preferred. You talk, the software spits your words onto a document. It’s pretty amazing! Here’s the NY Times Review of Dragon NaturallySpeaking for more information; and here’s a video of the program in action:

I can see how this would help so many people! Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard enables you to “verbally type” up to 150 words per minute without forming blisters on your fingertips (or your keyboard smoking, ha!). And this could constitute a whole new world for people who podcast or need transcriptions, such as the doctor I saw in the office.

A verbal program would take some getting used to, I suppose. But it would mean much faster writing and transcription. And it would also mean that I wouldn’t have to crane my neck to type while lying in bed. :D I think it’s terrific! What do you think?