There was a time when the promise of robots was often talked about, but it never seemed to work out the way we thought.  This is similar to the space-age look our vehicles are supposed to have - we are supposed to be flying in our vehicles by now right?  No longer wishful thinking, robots are becoming useful, and affordable, for us all.

I don’t necessarily have to run the vacuum anymore.  Thanks to the Roomba 560 our floors can be vacuumed daily without lifting a finger.  I will say right now, the Roomba probably doesn’t do as good a job as a Kenmore upright or similar vacuum, but that isn’t the point.  Let’s be honest, many people work long hours, have kids or other activities.  This doesn’t leave time every day to get out the vacuum.

I have the Roomba programmed to start automatically and so far it seems to be working out pretty well.  With seven time slots and virtual wall modules, we can make sure the house is vacuumed with little effort - the only thing we have to do is move the virtual wall modules so the Roomba will vacuum every room.

What about the kitchen floor?  The Roomba 560 will sweep the kitchen floor too, but if it needs to be mopped we aren’t busting out a mop and bucket.  The Scooba 5800 handles mop duty in our house.  It will sweep prior to mopping and will dry the floor after mopping.  Both the Roomba and Scooba are welcomed additions to our house.

You are probably wondering what this weird-looking contraption is.  This is the Rovio and I’m going to keep my eye on this little fella.  The Rovio is a mobile robot web camera with omni-directional movement ability thanks to its unique tri-wheel design.

The Rovio will patrol your house with pinpoint accuracy; it will always know where it is and where you want it to go next.  The Rovio will return to its base to recharge and if knocked off its course it will immediately right itself.  You don’t have to worry about the dog or cat messing with the Rovio!  

The built-in web camera has full audio and video streaming capability so you can spy on your home from anywhere in the world as long as you have a web connection.  Imagine being anywhere in the world with the ability to see what is going on in your home or receiving an email with still pictures of your house.

I will admit the Rovio isn’t as practical as the Roomba, but it is cool technology and I love technology.  I would think the next step would be an outdoor Rovio that patrols your yard at night.  Wouldn’t it be cool to have your outdoor Rovio shine a light on any dubious activity going on in the back yard?  I like it!

We are less than two weeks away from Black Friday and I’m also in the market for a laptop for my wife.  That being the case, I’ve been looking at what is out there in terms of computers and just wanted to talk about some things “under the hood.”

Name Brands - name brands dictate what the outside of a computer will look like, but the guts of computers are basically the same.  Computer companies like Dell buy parts in bulk so HP and Dell could be putting the same parts in their computers.

Hard Drive - they are actually putting 500GB hard drives in laptops now - that is huge compared to 5 years ago.  The thing to look at when deciding on hard drives is rotations per minute (RPM).  The faster a hard drive spins, the better it will perform and more power it will use.  So a 5400rpm hard drive theoretically will not perform as good as a 7200rpm hard drive.  Solid State Drives (SSD) are another type of hard drive with no moving parts.  The lack of moving parts reduces power consumption, heat and most importantly increases speed.  SSDs are still on the expensive and small side though.  Prices will come down in the coming months/years.

RAM - the more the better.  RAM (random access memory) is where your computer gets and stores temporary instructions.  Additionally, some systems have built-in video cards meaning your video (the speed you see) could use some of your RAM.  4GB on consumer systems is not out of the ordinary now - 512MB used to be more than enough.  If possible, max out the RAM when you buy and go for a video card with dedicated memory (512MB is still good for video cards).  There are so many different types of RAM, I wouldn’t even try to cover each one.  Matching RAM speed with bus speed is the main goal.

Processor - of course this plays an integral role in how fast a computer operates.  Processors go from Intel Celeron (slow/budget) to dual core (the most common processor at this time) to quad core (think 4 processors in one) models.  All these processors come in various speeds - 2.0GHz or so seems to be the sweet spot right now for a performance/price balance.

Bus - think of the bus as a street that connects all your components.  Would you rather have a street (667MHz bus), a road (800MHz bus) or a highway (1066MHz bus)?  A computer with a front-side bus running at 800MHz and RAM running at 667MHz would kind of defeat the purpose right?

Like always, some readers already know all this information and more, but some don’t.  Wal-Mart has already sold a laptop for $300 and similar deals will be all over the place this holiday season.  Matching budget, future usage and the actual hardware is what the goal should be, but sometimes cheap prices trump all.  Most people don’t need, or will never use, the expensive systems, but will not be totally be happy with the cheapest computer either.  Since there are so many computer configurations out there, it is helpful to know what is really being sold.

Happy shopping!

I guess the first thing that should be asked is, does everyone know what a netbook is?  Just in case you don’t, this is what Wikipedia says:

The term netbook was re-introduced by Intel in February 2008 to describe a category of small-sized, low-cost, light weight, lean function subnotebooks optimized for Internet access and core computing functions (e.g., word processing) — either directly from applications installed on the netbook itself or indirectly, via cloud computing. More than 50 million Netbooks are expected to be in widespread circulation by 2011. Netbooks (or sub-notebooks as they may be known) typically come with a 7-inch to 10-inch screen.

When I think netbook I think about a device somewhere between my laptop, a Macbook Pro, and my iPhone.  Basically something I can take anywhere without weighing me down too much.  This is not a desktop replacement or something I would use as a primary machine.  I would use this as a change-of-pace laptop or something I would take on the road.

Of course something else has to be attractive about these small laptops and that something is price.  Two examples of this category is the MSI Wind and Asus Eee PC.  Both these systems can be had for $500.  That isn’t chump change, but it isn’t much more than a gaming console.  Be quiet and don’t tell my wife, but I’m eyeing the Eee PC and I have a birthday and Christmas coming up.

These machines may not hold all of your music, movies and other files - some actually do have a lot of space - but it will allow you to surf the internet, write a document and check email, all in a small easy to transport package.

Is this a fad or are is there value in this category?

I know some of you don’t need this, but believe or not there are those out there who do and we (people who understand it) can help them.  Wireless networking is hardly anything new; if you have a laptop you are likely to have a wireless network at home.  I’ve recently ran into several people who didn’t know how to configure their wireless router and I think it is something the owner should have a handle on.  Additionally, my router (A Belkin, the simplest in my opinion) somehow messed up last night and I had to re-configure it.

I want to just look at some concepts because all routers are slightly different and I couldn’t possibly cover them all.

Configuration - Every router that I’ve set up needs to be connected physically to configure - most of them come with a network cable (ethernet cable or CAT5) in the box.  If not, you can buy one at Wal-Mart, Circuit City or Best Buy.

If this is a re-configuration, you will more than likely need to reset the router to factory defaults.  This can be done easily by using a paperclip or ball-point pen to push in the reset button that is on the back of the router.

You will be able to configure your router via an Internet browser (IE, Firefox, etc.).  Most of the time you will go to the address bar and type in either 192.168.2.1 or 192.168.1.1.

This is important.  Your router probably came from the factory with a blank password.  If you are configuring for the first time or re-configuring, don’t forget to change this.  I know from experience, recent experience.

LAN - Your Local Area Network (LAN) is the first thing you should set up.  Again, don’t get too intimidated by all of this.  You will see some DHCP settings which is where your computers, all of them, will get their IP address from.  Make sure it is enabled and you shouldn’t have to do much else.

Wireless - This is the big one.  This is why you have this router to begin with.  First thing you will have to do is come up with a SSID or a name for you wireless network.  Think of a name that is totally arbitrary and even your next door neighbor wouldn’t associate it with you.  Call me cautious, but I don’t want someone to be able to know which wireless network belongs to me.  Knowing your network will get someone half way to getting into your network.  Once security is set up a password will be required.  If someone knows you they can begin to try passwords like you phone number, your dog’s name, etc.

Don’t worry too much about the channel.

You need to choose your security.  Keep in mind this is only for your wireless connections.  If someone can physically plug into the back of your router it is safe to assume you trust them.  You will have to choose WEP or WPA for security.  I use WPA because it is the newer method and supposedly superior.  After choosing this, you will need to come up with a password.  Once someone finds your wireless network, they will be forced to enter the password you choose.  Like I said before, if they have no idea whose network it is, they will have to start randomly entering passwords.  Make your password somewhat difficult to guess, but don’t forget it.

Odd and Ends - There are additional settings, but you should be up and running with what we’ve covered so far.  The added benefit of all of this is you will have a couple more dollars in your pocket if you didn’t know what was going on with your wireless router before.  The Geek Squad and the Firedogs get paid decent money to do what we’ve covered.  Now you shouldn’t have to pay them.

I mentioned Belkin before as my router of choice.  I’m going to be a little biased and say if you see a D-Link router in the store, run fast.  If you see Netgear approach with caution.  If you see Linksys, I don’t know what to tell you.  My experience with Linksys is the configuration wasn’t as easy as Belkin and the range wasn’t what I needed at the time.

If you live someplace where range of your wireless network is important - townhouse or a house with a basement - look for MIMO.  MIMO stands for multiple in, multiple out and normally has a better range than other routers.

Another benefit of Belkin - I’m not a paid sponsor - is their dummy lights.  When my router goes out, I can look at the router and tell where the problem is.  For instance, last night something was actually wrong with the Internet connection.  These lights really help the troubleshooting process and I think some other manufacturers have started to use something similar.

Sorry if this is old hat to you, but I feel like there are some people out there who need to know this.

You no doubt invested a relatively large sum of money for your computer and I’m sure you want it to run as fast as possible - within reason of course.  Today, let’s discuss what many may be familiar with while others don’t understand: RAM.

Random Access Memory (RAM) provides space for your computer to read and write data to be accesseed by your computer - actually the central processing unit (CPU), but that is another discussion.  When computer memory is mentioned, RAM is specifically what it being talked about.

A computer hard disk/drive spins on a platter and it takes time for your computer to read this - a hard drive is actually one of the bottlenecks that slow a computer down, but at this time it is not cost effective to do anything about this.  Adding RAM to a computer reduces the number of times a CPU must read data from the hard drive - information is stored temporarily in RAM - which results in a faster computing experience.  RAM is volatile meaning data stored in RAM is erased when computer power is turned off.

So RAM is faster than a hard drive and since information is temporarily stored on RAM, having more RAM would improve the computing experience.  Now I mentioned computing experience previously and I want to explain.  Looking at raw horsepower in one area doesn’t necessarily equate to a computer seeming faster to the user overall.  Certain bottlenecks will cause a fast processor or fast-spinning hard drive to be a waste.  As a user you are interested in how fast your computer seems to you right?  That is why I like to talk about the computing experience.  Video cards play a role too, but right now we are talking about RAM.

How much RAM is enough?

I knew you would ask that and this is where I let technology take over.  There are far too many types of RAM, but crucial.com is a site that will do the work for you.  After navigating to the site there is a icon called “Scan My System” that will tell you exactly how much RAM your computer will take, an idea of how it will improve your performance (think improved computing experience) and even how much it will cost if you choose to purchase it from Crucial.  If you don’t want to purchase from Crucial be sure to write down what type of RAM they are recommending. 

Installing the RAM

First and foremost, don’t be intimidated.  It is not above your skill level to install RAM in your desktop and surprisingly even easier for your laptop.  He most important thing is not to have a static charge - you remember dragging your feet on shaq carpet and zapping someone - on your body.  Oh, and disconnect the computer from power too.  Keep in mind, there is no way I can guarantee you will not mess something up, but what I’m telling you is simple and will save yourself some money in the long run.  Businesses will charge you more for memory than you can purchase it online and they will charge you a good amount to install it.  The primary difference between them doing it and you is they are more comfortable doing it because it is something they do on a regular basis.  Hey, I’m uncomfortable in the kitchen, but that doesn’ t mean it is hard to cook everything.  Go for it!

I have included a video and I will say up front some things about this video (only worry about DIMM modules) are outdated, but I chose this video because it is short and there is no way to cover every case and manufacturer out there.  The important thing is opening your computer and installing the memory (on the motherboard) in the right place.

I think I’m going to be talking about re-installing operating systems next week.  Again, something businesses charge way too much for.

Don’t you think it is about time you get control of your computer? If you are fully aware of what is going on with your computer then this isn’t for you, but it would be nice if you gave any nuggets of advice you have to share. Also, and I just have to say this, if you are using a Mac you probably don’t have this problem.

The problem I speak of, the control you should have, is the software that is running on your computer right now. It is your computer and it is only right for you to know what is running - background applications too. We are living in a time where we have an application for so many things that computer companies and those with malicious intent will slip something extra in without you knowing. I’m talking about crapware.

Crapware is software that you don’t want on your computer. There is some debate concerning what is and isn’t crapware because a piece of software that one person wants might be something that another person doesn’t. Some software will fall in the grey area where people need - or they think they need - certain features of the software but it causes them grief by causing system slowdown or instability. Yes, there it is right there! What I’m talking about could be causing your computer to slow down right now. If that doesn’t get your attention this is either old hat to you or you are using a Mac. Otherwise, you need to know about crapware and what you can do about it.

For the most part crapware makes its way to your system courtesy of the manufacturer (Dell, HP, Sony, etc.) or is included as a bonus (yeah right) when you install other software. Think about it, you may enjoy playing all those demo games and like the fact that you have a 60-day trial of Norton Security Suite, but what happens later? One thing that will happen is you will keep getting bugged when those trials run out. Do you think those programs just start to ask you to upgrade or they are running in the background all the time? Yep, there is a good change those programs are quietly and almost transparently robbing your computer of precious resources. Don’t worry, there is hope.

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it’s fast and contains NO Spyware or Adware! I have used this one personally and it seems to work.

AutoRuns is a utlility I haven’t used personally, but I would hope it is safe and works since it is from Microsoft.  AutoRuns shows what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login and shows the entries in the order Windows processes them.  Good information to know if you think a dubious program could be bogging your system down.

One of the downfalls of Microsoft’s operating systems (Windows XP and Vista) is the need to routinely clean things up to keep the system running optimally.  This is something we should know, but it isn’t really verbalized as much as it should be.  Honestly, there are people who make money performing routine maintenance on computers.  This is what they love to hear: “Yes, my name is John Doe and my system is running slower than when I first got it.  Is there anything you can do to speed it up?”  Can you say cha-ching?

No, I’m not talking about your New Year’s resolution, I’m talking about the resolution you see when you look at your TV screen. For years we have been trying to achieve a crystal clear television picture, capable of looking like the real thing. Remember when we thought a better picture was purely a function of the picture tube? That seems like so long ago. Let’s talk resolution the way it is looked at today.

I have to start off by apologizing to my nephew Kendall. We had a conversation about this the other day and I defended my opinion in error. Sorry man.

One thing to know right off the bat is resolution can be stated in either lines or pixels.  Fore the purpose of this discussion think lines of resolution and leave the pixel count to your computer monitor.  It is important to not get too caught up in all this though.  I think it is best to understand a little and let your eye tell you the rest since what you see when you watch TV is where pleasure is derived from.

What you see on your TV screen is made up of scan lines which means the whole image isn’t actually put on the screen at one time.  Each line is put on the screen (horizontally) from top to bottom in one of two ways: interlaced scan or progressive scan. 

An interlaced scan is completed when the lines are split into two fields in which all of the odd numbered lines are displayed first and then all of the even numbered lines are displayed next.  This process produces a complete frame.

When progressive scan is used the lines are displayed sequentially instead of being divided into two fields.  This means both the odd and even numbered fields are displayed in numerical sequence.

The number of lines is what you may see on the spec sheet for that new LCD TV you are considering and that is where some of the confusion comes in.  1080i was the big feature virtually every company used to show their product was hi-def (HDTV).  The part of this I had wrong the other day was when I thought DVD was hi-def.  DVDs produce up to 540 lines of resolution.  The lowest resolution considered hi-def is 480p so technically a DVD can produce hi-def, but from what I’ve learned the (storage) capacity of a DVD would only allow about 20 minutes of hi-def video - not quite what you are getting from that DVD you bought at Wal-Mart huh?  So, DVDs aren’t hi-def, at least not the DVDs we buy and watch.

480p, 720p and 1080i were the standards advertised on most HDTVs until recently (the last couple of years).  Now 1080p is the highest standard normally advertised, the “Holy Grail” of hi-def resolution.  The only problem I see is the fact that you need a blu-ray player and disk to get 1080p.  Guess what one of the cheapest blu-ray players is?  Sony’s PS3 gaming system!

So, remember how I said DVDs aren’t really hi-def and they produce up to 540 lines of resolution?  There is something called resolution upscaling which outputs a video signal in the 720p or 1080i format; the DVD player itself does this.  This isn’t the same as watching a blu-ray disk (go to a store and watch a blu-ray disk, they are phenominal) in true hi-def, but it will provide increased detail and color.

With the whole issue of analog TVs not working over-the-air in February 2009 I think this is a relevant subject.  I also hope this helps some wives and girlfriends understand why your significant other wants to buy that new TV before the football season!

Calm down, I’m talking about Internet browser wars!

Let’s jump right to the point of this post: you owe it to yourself to possibly use another Internet browser than the one you are currently using to view this site.  I would assume you are using Internet Explorer since that is the most popular browser available.  I would go so far as to say many people probably wouldn’t even be using IE if it didn’t come on computers loaded with Microsoft operating systems.  Yes, it is much improved, but it still has some serious issues.  Enough issues to allow some other browsers to gain ground in the market.

Firefox is the number two browser available and you owe it to yourself to at least give it a shot.  The huge upside associated with Firefox is how configurable it is.  There are plug-ins and themes that fit almost everyone’s needs.  It just seems to have it all.

I use Apple computers a lot and I have to mention Safari.  Yes it is an Apple product and yes you can download it and use it (for free) on your Microsoft-based PC.  It is touted as the fastest browser around and that may be accurate.  I’m not going to lie to you and say it has as many features as Firefox, but for my use it seems to be a little more stable.

I don’t have a lot of experience with Opera, but some people will use nothing else.  It has tabbed browsing like the others and that is about all I know about it.

The bottom line is, the browser you are using right now might not be the best browser for your needs.  You may find, like me, that one browser is not enough to meet all your needs.

Go ahead, get in on the browser war.

I’m torn and I don’t know what to do. I don’t normally wait until the last minute to plan out a major purchase and this is no different. Gas prices got me thinking about getting an economical automobile for everyday commutting. Yes, gas prices have dipped over the last week, but I think that is always a way for the big oil companies to make us happy right before they really stick it to us. I think this has to do with someone (wink) higher up making a killing off high oil prices. But I digress.

I have a car that has been very reliable over the years, but it has seen better days and putting money into it wouldn’t be the smartest move - something could happen to it and I would get a fraction of what I put into it. No, I need something that will get me from point A to B without burning a lot of gas. Oh, it has to get me there in economical comfort though.

Many people may immediately think of Hybrid cars, but that really isn’t necessary. Hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius, certainly get great miles per gallon (MPG), but in my opinion they do it at a price: styling. I’m not saying a Prius isn’t a great car because everything I’ve read about them seems to be more positive than negative. I just don’t know why they couldn’t have made it look better by now. Does anyone remember the name of that old Honda Hybrid that was seriously ugly?

Now decent-looking cars like the Honda Civic get great MPG in the gas or hybrid versions. Let’s face it, there aren’t many, if any, of these cars (in this category) that are really beautiful vehicles, but the small car offerings seem to be our future.

Did you know that the Civic can now be purchased with leather seats? On the surface it doesn’t really seem like a big deal until you think about what that indicates. Car companies are moving towards making these small cars more luxurious since gas prices are forcing consumers to buy them more. We might as well have comfort in economical cars too right?

Has anyone joined me in my crusade to ditch those seldom-used houses on wheels known as SUVs?  We might as well accept what the future holds for the size of vehicles we buy more of.

As you may have been able to tell by now, I love cars.  In the future I will have to talk about the Mini Cooper, a car that I love, and the Smart Car,  a car that interests me.  For now, I will let you go so you can jump in your SUV and make it to the dealership.

Text messaging, or texting is the common term for the sending of “short” (160 characters or fewer, including spaces) text messages from mobile phones using the Short Message Service (SMS). It is available on most digital mobile phones and some personal digital assistants with on-board wireless telecommunications. The individual messages which are sent are called text messages or, more colloquially, texts.

I got the above from Wikipedia just in case the term was new to someone.  I didn’t really think it would be because texting is all over the place now, but I want to make sure we know what we are talking about.  It is talked about on TV ads, in schools, at work and most importantly with your cell provider.

Speaking of cell providers, make sure you know how many text messages are included in your plan before you get carried away.  Text messaging can become addictive fast and the cell providers will hit you over the head with a hefty bill if you go over your alloted amount per month.

I found a site which gives you texting shorthand.  Did you know that texting “8″ means oral sex?  Calling all parents!  Calling all parents!  You better get  clue as to what the most current lingo is today.  There is a lot more to this than just OMG (That stands for oh my God).  I think it would be in your best interest to know what some of these criptic text messages really mean.

To say text messaging is popular would be an understatement.  According to the December 2005 article “Life and Romance in 160 Characters or Less” About 7.3 billion text messages are sent within the United States every month, up from 2.9 billion a month a year ago, according to CTIA, the wireless industry’s trade group. After Hurricane Katrina knocked out or overloaded communications systems, one of the only ways to reach lost relatives and friends was through text messaging, which transmits in sturdy little bursts of data that can often make it through even when voice lines are snarled.

My friend’s daughter was sending 4,000 - yes I meant to put that comma and three zeroes - text messages a month!  Needless to say he had to get unlimited texts or he would be going broke fast.  It would seem nearly impossible to send that many messages in one month, but I actually saw her in action for myself.  She has a phone with a slide out keyboard, but let’s just say if there were a professional texting league she would be the scoring champion/MVP.  She can go one-handed, two-handed and probably behind the back without skipping a beat.

Is texting enough in terms of an adequate communication medium or do things get lost when shortening up to 160 characters or less?  I’m of the opinion that there is a time and place for everything including text messaging.  Similar to emails, texting is another way to sty connected and communicate although some would probably argue this technology dumbs us down and is impersonal.  I don’t know the answer for sure, but I do know that if over a billion served indicates success for McDonald’s, texting became successful many years ago!