Cool(ing)! 'Cause it's spring..and it's still cold

Hey all, I go to Utah State University... which means that it still feels cold a lot of the time even though it's almost May. And this has nothing to do with the article I read, but it had the world "cool" in it, which made me think of it (welcome to my mind?).

So! Cooling. Liquid versus Fans. Which one is better? Well, it depends on your needs. And budgets. And craftiness. Super sweet article at pcworld, and one of the easy benefits of liquid cooling is the sound. It's very quiet, especially compared to these fans we've been using forever. Air cooling benefit? Very cheap, reliable (hey, we've been using them for forever). More liquid benefits is the efficiency of it. The biggest drawbacks though are the cost and how much work goes into attaching it to the right parts correctly. If you've ever been curious about cooling options, this is an easy-read article, and you should check it out.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2028293/liquid-cooling-vs-traditional-cooling-what-you-need-to-know.html

Recycling

In honor of Earth Day (yesterday, yes, I forgot), I found an article about recycling your old tech stuff. It starts with properly removing all data so it's not recoverable (doesn't matter if everything is "deleted" if it can still be rebuilt), and it goes through all of the different ways you can recycle it. If you're like me (cough, or my family, cough), then you've probably accumulated a lot of junk. Like old mp3 players, old monitors, old desktops, and many other tech products like that. These are things you'll want to wipe properly and you probably don't want cluttering your house anymore. I recommend taking the time some weekend to do it, maybe as part of your spring/summer cleaning?? There are some helpful tips and steps listed in the article if you get a little lost or need some guidance. Happy (Belated) Earth Day!

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2035435/recycle-your-old-tech-gear.html

12 tips for PC users

I love these How-To articles on PCWorld. These are 12 PC tasks that you should do, but a lot of people don't. General maintenance will help you to get the best experience (and life) from your computer. I'll summarize them in a list here:

1. Clean your computer from dust and crumbs and gross stuff like that
2. Back Up your data
3. Guard against viruses and malware
4. Update Your Software
5. Organize Your Files
6. Remove files/programs that take up space (be careful!)
7. Encrypt
8. Change Passwords
9. Optimize Startup
10. Organize Your Inbox
11. Automate
12. Defragment Regularly

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2032032/12-must-do-pc-tasks.html

Microwaves and Computers - what?

Comparing a personal computer to a microwave seems almost heresy, but one writer managed to do it. And he did it well. According to many reports, the PC is dead, but Brad Chacos managed to express the reality in a better way. In a lot of consumer’s minds, you need a PC, but you don’t always need to have the greatest and latest. We look towards tablets and smart phones for our latest devices, and we buy them because we feel as though we need them. We generally purchase a new desktop or laptop when our previous one has given up the ghost. For example, my laptop will be three years old this summer, so now I am just waiting for it to break before I buy a new one. I’m like a lot of people and use my smartphone for most of my computer needs. There is definitely a place for computers (desktops, laptops, etc.) within each home, but it has taken a place where it’s standard, not a desire for the best. The hardware hasn’t changed much within the past decade, which is why it has gotten to this status within homes. There are changes coming, and the leader of it is Windows with their Surface tablets which are creating new ideas for hardware, such as hybrids, touchscreen notebooks, all-in-ones, and many others. I definitely recommend reading this article. It brings up a lot of really great points, and it definitely has a more positive spin than the “PCS are dead!” stuff you read everywhere.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2034820/pcs-arent-dead-theyre-microwaves.html

Robots - iPhone Robots

I was skimming through articles on Wired.com, and I saw one that said something about the common man’s robot being headless… so I decided to check it out. The article started out discussing how we have all these cool technological devices in our homes, but no robots, even though that was a big thing of the sci-fi future before. This group got together and created a base (with wheels, so it’s movable) for an iPod/iPhone. You download the Romo app (that’s what the robot is called), and it gives the device a face, and it’ll even change features and track you with the sensor. They’re working on creating a lot more advances for it, such as facial recognition between family members and friends, so that it has a “personality”. You can control your Romo with another iOS device, so you could potentially use your outdated phone as the “brain” and face of the Romo, and your current phone as the controller. It looked like they’re even attempting to bring this to the Android market, as well. I think it’s really interesting how our smartphones have become central to our lives, and this is just an example. Our phones are finding ever more uses in our lives and how they interact with us daily. The hardware and the software is there, we just have to learn how to apply it all in a way that is affordable for the “common consumer”. One of the great things about this is that the team opened up the software coding and everything to let other developers create programs that are compatible with Romo, and thereby making it even better and a bigger part of the consumer’s life. One of my favorite parts about the article was the video at the end that gave a spiel about Romo, which I have included a link to on this page.

http://www.wired.com/business/2013/02/common-mans-robot/
http://vimeo.com/51263340#

Post-World Backup Day: Hardware

World Backup Day was last Sunday (March 31)! So it's been about a week. I found a handy article about backup drives (although it didn't include information about backup software). It recommends getting a backup drive that is at least double your hard drive size. So if you have a 500GB hard drive, then get a 1TB backup drive. The article also goes through some options of the hardware of backup drives. Maybe my next post will be about software? Now, speaking of World Backup Day... I think it's time for me to go and backup all my data. My laptop is a little aged, so it's always good to be prepared!

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2032508/in-honor-of-world-backup-day-how-to-protect-your-data.html

Windows 8

This was definitely an interesting article to read. For one, I am not rushing to get a computer with Windows 8. Once it's been more fine-tuned and worn-in, then maybe, but I'm not itching for it. This article was discussing the "hidden" security features built in with Windows 8, and that if you are thinking of getting it then you should purchase a new computer with updated hardware rather than just updating your OS. I understand where they're coming from, but it also felt like they were trying to "sell" the reader on upgrading their computer and spending more money (when we all know that this will be outdated quickly). I've had my laptop since the beginning of college, and my goal is to make it until graduation (whether from grad school or just with my undergrad is a different matter...). I've succeeded so far in my goal, but it's also 'cause I'm trying to take care of it and I won't be sucked in to buying a brand new laptop that'll be outdated immediately. Technology is growing at a rapid rate, and unless you have your heart set on one particular computer and have had it set on it for months, you have to be willing to bide your time before upgrading. Kind of like with cell phones... I really want a Galaxy SIII or SIV, but I also realize that by the time I need a new phone, there will be plenty of even greater options out there and it's not worth my money right now.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2027593/windows-8-put-its-hidden-security-features-to-work-.html

Protecting Your Wi-Fi

This article gave instructions of how you should change your wi-fi password. The nitty-gritty details weren't what I was too interested in, but I did enjoy that they pointed out that even the password to your network will need to be changed often, not just the ones to your accounts on online sites. People can still cause damage to you if you're not protecting the access to your network, so it's good to make sure that you have taken every necessary precaution to protecting yourself. It's not easy to have everyone in your household go and change their password, and they may all get really annoyed with you, but the protection that you gain from it is worth it.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026340/change-your-wi-fi-password-on-various-devices.html

A Geeky Valentine's Day

Because it's Valentine's Day, I felt like it would be nice to share some fun articles I found for geeky/techy Valentines. I chose them because, well, I am a geek. Mashable's article is focused more on decorating/personalizing your gadgets, which is always fun. For example, I've had this phone case I bought last summer that holds my three most important cards: my driver's license, my debit card, and my room key. It's the coolest. Anyway, there's some cool cases and what-not on Mashable, so if you want ideas for gifts in general, it's a good place to start. PCWorld also did an article with 15 products they love. I love them, too. There's some really cool products there that I didn't know existed, like Up and Livescribe Sky, which I am now lusting after. They also pointed out the Steam platform (that I, of course, have) as one of the cool products. There's speakers, keyboards, software, and all sorts of fun stuff packed into their article. Go have fun with it!

Surviving

I got a little "click-crazy" with searching articles... and I found a fun one about creating a "survival kit" with a flash drive. Seeing as how cheap they are and how most everyone has one, I thought that this would be a great idea to touch on. It kinda links back to the previous post about being prepared for disaster and having a back-up plan (or multiple back-up plans!). First, I learned that there are lots of portable apps! I don't know where I've been, but I was very excited to discover these. Second, you can use a second flash drive to store SystemRescueCD on it. It is a free live operating system, Linux-based, so you'll always be prepared.

Now I want to go buy a couple new flash drives and prepare!

http://rikkitechthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/01/encryption.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2021326/turn-your-flash-drive-into-a-portable-pc-survival-kit.html