Personal Tech Articles & News
GPS: How Does It Work?
The Global Positioning System is a satellite-based navigation system put into place by the U.S. Department of Defense and is a network made up of 24 satellites in orbit around the earth. The satellites orbit the earth at about 12,000 miles, are solar powered, they transmit a signal of only 50 watts, and travel at speeds of about 7000 miles per hour. The GPS system was originally intended for military use only, but during the 1980s the government decided to allow civilian use. The satellites ...
The Oscilloscopes
If your need is to repair, design or to manufacture electronic equipment, then the oscilloscope is a necessary piece of equipment. For those that do not know what it is, it is a device or a scope that creates a visible two dimensional graph of one or more electrical potential differences. In short terms, these measurements allow engineers to effectively measure and then manage electrical output. Consider the oscilloscope to be a camera that doesn’t take photos but captures signal images that ...
We Can't Hear You
FEMA, along with three other major operational agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, rely on shortwave radios for two-way communications in the field. In other words, they use HF radios -- HF standing for "High Frequency," for many of their tactical communications needs. The military and many relief organizations worldwide also use HF radios extensively. You'd think that these various agencies and relief organizations could easily communicate with each other, ...
Tips For Finding The Perfect Portable Mp3 Player
Portable mp3 players have caught on in a big way despite the rants and disgruntled mumblings of certain millionaire recording acts. Not only are mp3 players becoming more and more affordable, but personal mp3 players are also being enhanced with greater features and functionality. With so many mp3 players to choose from, finding the perfect one for your lifestyle can be an overwhelming task—that is until now. The first tip in finding the perfect portable mp3 player is to decide ...
How Do MP3 Players Work? Digital Audio Technology Revolutionizes Music Enjoyment
Millions have enjoyed recorded music since 1877 when Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. Then came radio, records, tapes and CD's. But today's digital audio players are a quantum leap forward in music technology. To understand what makes these music players so revolutionary, let's explore the question, "How do mp3 players work?"
Reliable File and Folder Sharing in Windows Xp
This tip is on sharing files and folders on a local network in Windows XP. It has been tested on Windows XP Professional (with and without SP2).
Upgrading Your PC for Non experts
Intro One of the big advantages of PCs over earlier types of computers is that they’re upgradable. If you get to the point where you need a faster computer, more storage space or whatever, you don’t have to buy a new PC. You can upgrade it by buying just the extra part you need. But sometimes it’s better to just take the plunge and replace it… and how do you know what part to upgrade? Here’s my guide: Memory Adding memory is one of the most popular ...
Uninstall Windows Media Player 10 and Start Enjoying Your Media Again
Windows Media Player 10 has been full of bugs from Microsoft since they offered it as a download from their site. Windows Media Player 9 was nice and simple. Windows Media Player 10 is way too complex and feature-rich that it has taken away from the simpleness of version 9 and ruined itself. Another great media player is Winamp but we won't go into that right now.
How to Switch to Firefox and Why You should
First things first, what is Firefox? Well, it’s a browser. Ok but what’s that? A browser is a computer program used to view web pages, to browse through the world wide web. In fact you are reading this article with a browser at the moment. Browsers are very useful. For a start, they can remember what pages you have looked at, you can even store your favourite pages as Bookmarks. Browsers can do much more depending on which one you have.
Occupational Therapy and PDA's
Occupational Therapy Made Easier Medical downloads for the pda have improved the life of both patients and doctors of all kinds. These freeware software downloads make many types of medical conditions much easier to manage. For instance, occupational therapy and pdas can now be synonymous. Occupation therapy is a type of therapy used to help people who have been injured in an accident regain the use of their bodies so that they can return to their job or train for a new job ...
Windows PDA Medical Software Benefits
PDA Medical Benefits If you are concerned about your medical history, the Internet has some great windows medical pda software that is available for free. Freeware is all the rage, and finding good quality freeware that is medically related is easy and fun. Some of the medical downloads that are available for your palm pilot include a great freeware medical dictionary that has a vast collection of medical terms and can be updated regularly to stay current. It even has ...
How Does a Palm Pilot Work?
Just The Facts, Ma'm Palm pilots are all the rage now. Everyone has a pda or wants to get one in the near future. If you don't know much about a pda, however, it might be helpful to learn a bit about them. The history of the palm pilot is an interesting part of our technology advances. How does a palm pilot work? A palm pilot uses a microprocessor. AN operating system tells the microprocessor what to do and sends instructions to the various parts of the pda. ...
Put Order and Information into File Names
Unless you place your faith in internal search engine software or document databases to track your work, consider a relatively low-tech enhancement to your work methods. I promise it will pay big dividends.
How Does My PC Get Hot
There are many sources of heat that can raise the temperature in your PC. No, I'm not talking about the Tabasco sauce you dripped over your keyboard when you ate that bowl of chili at your desk, and no, I'm not talking about that Pamela Anderson (or Ricky Martin poster, depending on your taste) above your desk. Heat can come from external and internal sources. Let's take a look at those different heat sources, identify them and see what can be done to eliminate the problem.
5 Minute Guide to Video Editing for Beginners
Getting started with video editing is very simple you only need a few items and you can be producing quality movies at home that you will be able to enjoy for many years to come. Maybe even produce a hit Hollywood movie.
COOKIES What Are They!!
Cookies, not the kind that Mom makes, but the computer type, what are they and where do they come from. Well let's give you a quick and easy explanation of what they are, where they came from and how to get rid of them.
Improve PC Performance 6 Tips You Must Know
Are you frustrated with your PC? Is it feeling sluggish or crawling at a snail's pace? Are programs running slower than they used to? Are you just plain fed up with frequent slowdowns, freezes or crashes? Then it's time to stop what you're doing and optimize your system to improve PC performance! Follow these 6 simple sure-fire tips to help improve PC performance and you'll be surprised by the results! Each ...
Connect Your IPAQ to Linux
Choose Not To Conform Palm pilots and pdas are constantly growing in the ways that people use them in their everyday lives. Having a pocket pc is becoming the standard rather than the exception. However, many people have a desire to connect their ipaq with Linux, because it is free, and because they have an objection to paying for expensive, proprietary software. As an alternative to Microsoft and Mac, Linux is a great option. Some pocket pcs come with the Linux ...
How to Set Up Simple File Sharing WinXP
The first step is: Start > My Documents So you have the My documents folder open. Second click the tools button, than select folder options. Now you will see a few tabs, we want the View tab so go ahead and select that one. Now scroll down the list and double-check that "Use simple file sharing (recommended)" setting was checked. Click the OK button Open a new folder in My documents Next right click on the folder and select Properties. Choose ...
Things You Can Do To Speed Up Your Computer
Upgrading your processor will always speed up your computer, but sometimes this will not be the best thing to do. The first thing you need to do is find out where the bottle neck is in your system. The first step you would take to finding this out is by using the computers task manager. You can tell in here how much the computers resources are being used. If you want a more advanced diagnostics program then click on start, then run and type in perfmon. A program will now open and you will be ...
Flow Text Around a Graphic
Flow Text Around a Graphic Question: I have inserted a photo in my Word document but when I try to make my text go around the photo, it will only go above and below it. How can I make it go around the photo? Answer: Once you have inserted your photo or clip art, left click the object to select it, then right click it to open the shortcut menu. Left click Format Picture. Left click the Layout tab at the top of the dialog box. You will see a row of dogs. ...
Five Simple Steps to Speed up Your Computer
Most people download and save so much information on their computer that before long the computer starts slowing down and the user has no idea what the problem is. However, even if you are not a computer whiz there are several things you can easily do to speed up your computer quickly and easily.
5 Sure Fire Tips for Buying a New Computer
So you're thinking of buying a new computer... Where do you start? There are so many brands and models of computers available, and it can all be a little overwhelming when you start to look around. How do you decide what type of computer you need? And perhaps more importantly, how do you decide what the best value is? I have sold computers professionally for almost 20 years, and there are certain "tricks of the trade" that most computer stores and salespeople use. ...
Flash Your nVidia Video Card's BIOS
You will need the following: 1. 1.44MB FDD (floppy) 2. NVFLASH utility copy 3. Compatible BIOS file for your video card. (search the manufactures website for bios details) 4. Required Drivers. (check manufactures website) Alright now First Make an nVidia BIOS flash boot disk. -Bios flash operations for video must be performed in DOS. -You will need a DOS boot disk, you can obtain one if you do not already ahve one at bootdisk.com, ...
Bluetooth Headphones For Your PDA
Nothing is worse than having to negotiate all kinds of cables with your many electronic devices. This is why bluetooth technology is so fantastic. Bluetooth headphones for your pda make life so much simpler by allowing you to be wireless. There is nothing better than having a hands free headset that has no cables or wires of any kind. Wireless is definitely the way to go.
PC Tools You'd Never Think You Need
Do you use Windows standard uninstall feature? How do you migrate data from your old PC to the new one? Get some tips on amazing software you never knew existed and find out why the pros have been using them for years.
Virtual Memory What is It?
I recently got an e-mail asking about virtual memory. The person who sent me the question was getting an error on random occasions from their Windows operating system stating "Your computer is low on virtual memory". They wanted to know what is virtual memory, and if this error does occur, what can I do to fix it? Here is the answer that I sent out:
Best PC Pocket GPS
Stop Getting Lost One of the greatest uses for a pocket pc is for gps navigation. Now all those people who continually get lost can find their way anywhere with the various types of gps navigation software available. No longer will they have the excuse of not wanting to ask for directions. The directions are easily accessible from their palm pilot. The best pocket pc gps software has a gps receiver with it. This allows you to receive constant updates. Many of the best ...
Introductory PHP For Non Programmers
When you started reading this sentence you assumed lo acabaría en inglés. However, I didn't finish in English. This begs the question, 'In which language did I finish?' Unless I tell you the language, you'd have to run around and compare the words against known words in order to learn that it was Spanish, but I'd bet you'd give up and move on first. Servers work much the same way; if you don't let it know the language it assumes you're speaking to someone else ...
Make Windows XP Run Faster!
A friend told me: "My computer startup seems to be taking a long time. And when the hard disk finally stops churning, everything just seems slower than when it was new. Can you suggest any maintenance tips to reduce the startup time and make Windows run faster?"