If you are still using the old time computer monitors that are bulky and weighty and have a curved screen, then you are still living in the dark ages and need to move ahead with technology. It seems odd to me when I see people straining their eyes to see what is on their computer screen all because they are still using out-dated monitors. It is time to step up to an LCD monitor that has a crisper and sharper display, is relatively light-weight, and comes in various viewing sizes depending on what each user prefers. Viewsonic monitors are among the clearest and best on the market right now. Their wide screens make viewing a pleasure and make whatever else you are doing seem a bit more lifelike.

If you are having a warm time figuring out which one to get, it might help to note that there are two in particular that are hot buy items right now at Buy.com. They are the Viewsonic X Series VX2035wm WideScreen LCD Monitor – 1 x 20.1″ – LCD Active Matrix TFT – 0.258mm – Silver, and the Viewsonic X Series VX2835WM 28″ Widescreen LCD Monitor – 800:1, 3ms, 1920×1200 – Piano Black. These two LCD monitors are a cut above the rest in their class and worth the price that you have to pay for them. Come on out of the dark ages into the wonderful light of modern technology by treating yourself to a Viewsonic LCD monitor right now from Buy.com. You will be glad you did, and so will anyone else in your home who uses it.

As technology advances, the transmission of data has moved from the traditional radio and television format to now include the internet. Satellites are being used to transmit media all over the world and as such news takes seconds to reach any place on any continent at any time. This live transmission of live multimedia has revolutionized how we receive information. Streaming media is multimedia that is continuously received by and displayed to the end-user while it is being delivered by the provider. As a newscast is being delivered, persons can see it live. The same applies for games (like football and tennis matches) or any other type of media that is usually transmitted.

Many companies stream media over the internet while charging a subscription for the service. The media can also be streamed in delayed format, i.e. the person who wishes to obtain the media can see it in recorded format, streamed from the server of the provider. Having this type of access to information makes life easier for everyone and saves time and money in the long run. Streaming media is becoming the mode of choice of many media houses as it is quick and in most cases does not pose any problems in terms of data loss (except where the connection may have problems) and connectivity. Streaming media can be accessed by televisions, radios, computers, PDA’s, laptops, and so on. And as we move into the 22nd century, it will become even better.

How many remote controls do you have in your house? Many people have one for each piece of electronic equipment. This causes confusion at times especially if they look alike in any way. The simple solution is to get a universal remote. Universal remotes are able to operate numerous equipment like televisions, VCR’s, cable boxes, home theater systems, etc. To put it another way, a universal remote is a remote control that can be programmed to operate various brands of one or more types of consumer electronics devices. There are many different shapes and sizes of universal remotes, but they all work in the same way. Some are limited to operating only on equipment that are of the same brand, however the majority can work with just about any brand.

Some brands of universal remotes are:

- LG
- Panasonic
- Motorola
- Philips
- Hughes
- Jensen
- Zenith
- RCA
- Magnavox
- Comcast

Whichever you choose to use is your own choice. I personally would look at the price and then the features (the more features usually mean more money). Universal remotes make life a lot easier and save on time trying to find the correct remote for your TV or VCR.

It can be a frightening experience when you turn your computer on but the monitor only shows white. The thing about it is that there are times when there were no signs to indicate that the problem was ensuing. No matter how or when it happens, there is a cause for concern. The next questions that arise are: What has happened? And how can it be fixed? There are a few things that could have more than likely happened. In any case, the solution to the problem is easier than you may think.

One cause of the problem is that the computer is not on. Turn the computer on. A second cause is that the video card in malfunctioning. The video card can go bad over time and as such when power is applied to the computer nothing comes up on the screen. It only shows white which signifies that it detects an input but since the card is bad nothing will actually show. You will need to purchase a new video card and replace the defective one.

A third possibility is that the video card has not been selected as the default or has not been activated. This occurs when some people have more than one video card in their computer. If there are two monitors that need to be used on a single machine, the settings in the Control Panel have to be set to reflect the fact that both video cards must be used. This can be set by right-clicking on the Desktop and selecting Properties (or clicking Start then Control Panel then Display). Click on the Settings tab and you will see a drop-down menu with all monitors that have been istalled on the computer. You can switch between using either monitor or using both. Doing so will solve the white screen problem.

Have you ever been using your computer and notice (just by chance) thay you hard drive gets hotter and hotter as it is used? This is expected as there are components that are spinning inside the hard drive that help to increase the temperature. So you need not worry unduly, unless this rise in temperature occurs quite rapidly over a short period of time. There are ways, however, that you can use to keep the hard drive temperature in check.

One thng to do is ensure that your computer is in an air conditioned room. If that is not possible, it should be in a properly ventillated area. There are times when you may have to remove the case cover from your computer to aid in cooling. In addition, you can place a fan beside the computer that blows directly onto it to help dissipate the heat from the hard drive much quicker. A smart thing to do to keep check of the temperature of the hard drive is to install a monitoring program. Enable SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) for your hard drive so that the software can monitor the temperature. The SMART monitoring program can also monitor other crucial functions of the computer, like chassis fan speed, cpu fan speed, internal core temperature, and so on.

It is very important that you keep the hard drive with in the acceptable temperature limits. If the temperature gets too hot, it can result in hard disk failure.

How you sit plays a role in how you feel after having spent a good amount of time in front of the computer. Correct posture dictates sitting in a chair that has a back and arm rests, preferrably. In addition, avoid slumping your body forward for too long a time period as this will result in you straining your lower back muscles after a while. Have you ever felt all cramped up after sitting at your desk for an extended peiod? It has happened to the best of us and will continue happening because by nature many of us sit in a way that stresses our bodies. Many of us sit for hours upon hours at the PC without even taking a break, which is not good.

How you place your hands when using the keyboard is also just as imporant. Try not to suspend your hands for prolonged periods as this tires out the wrists and makes typing painful. If at all possible, get a wrist rest for your keyboard so that you can place your wrists on it. A side note here: Take a break every hour or so for 5 minutes from computer to rest your eyes. This will help save you having to buy glasses later on.

So do your best to sit properly and comfortably while at the computer. It can mean the difference between a life of back and wrist aches or life a free of them. Correct posture is important – don’t take it for granted.

Here are a few computer terms/extensions that are commonly used on websites:

PHP – PHP Hypertext Preprocessor

The PHP Hypertext Preprocessor is a programming language that allows web developers to create dynamic content that interacts with various databases. It is basically used for developing web-based software applications. The .php extension shows that the file is capable of running PHP codes that start with a less than sign, followed by a question sign, then a space, then php, a space, your (.php coding), then a “;”, followed by a question sign, then finally a greater than sign.

CGI – Common Gateway Interface

CGI allows HTML pages to interact with programming applications.

PL – Intercangeable with CGI (depending on method of upload, whether ASCII or Binary)

HTM – Hyper Text Markup (interchangeable with HTML)

HTML – Hyper Text Markup Language

Hypertext Markup Language is the authoring software language used on the Internet’s World Wide Web. It is used for creating World Wide Web pages. HTML is the major format of webpages. This means that more than 90% of all webpages worldwide are named with either .htm or .html as their extension.

SHTML – Server Side Include (SSI) Hyper Text Markup Language

Web pages that contain SSI’s often end with an shtml extension. The .shtml extension enables the Web server to differentiate those pages that need to be processed before they are sent to the browser.

DHTML – Dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language

DHTML is a collective term for a combination of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tags and options, style sheets, and programming that will allow you to create Web pages that are more animated and more responsive to user interaction than previous versions of HTML. Dynamic HTML can allow Web documents to look and act like desktop applications or multimedia productions. This allows the web documents to play videos and so on.

ASP – Active Server Page

ASP is a specification that enables Web pages to be dynamically created using HTML, scripts, and reusable ActiveX server components.

These quick tips were sponsored by Dietrine Diet Patch.

Computers tend to slow down over time as we keep adding more and more programs and files to it. As such, we need to constantly remove old and un-needed files on a regular basis. In addition, defragmentation of the computer hard drive may become necessary after a period of time. Remember, too, that programs and software that consume a lot of memory will cause a computer to lose speed.

To improve performance, defragment regularly and, if you have small amounts of memory, install a memory booster so as to help free up memory when needed. If at all possible, add more memory to your PC to aid in improving program loading times. Uninstall unnecessary programs, especially large ones, that take up a lot of disk space.

These quick tips were sponsored by NameDrive Domain Parking.

There are times when we hear ‘funny‘ sounds in our computers. More often than not it is the sound of the various fans at work keeping components cool. The sounds are normally low decibel sounds, i.e. you barely hear them while the computer is running. If you don’t hear them any at all, they may be the ‘extra quiet’ type of fans. In any case, always check to ensure that they are in fact spinning and operational.

If, however, you realize that the sounds seem to suddenly become high pitched, i.e. louder than usual, any or all of the following could be a factor:

1. The Motherboard Fan needs to be changed
2. The Chassis Fan is defective and needs to be replaced
3. The Power Supply Fan is in need of replacing

Try to locate the source of the noise. When you discover which fan it is, try to get a replacement quickly. Improper cooling can destroy sensitive components in the PC. Read my previous post on The Burning PC which shows what can happen if improper cooling takes place and what you can do to prevent and remedy the situation.

But there are times when the fans are perfectly okay. So where could the sound be coming from? The next logical device would be the hard drive (hard disk). When a hard drive starts making out-of-the-norm loud vibrating sounds, it could be an indication that it is about to fail. To see if this is the case, perform a simple drive check. If it is defective, seek a replacement as soon as possible and also backup your data.

There are only a few ways in which audio can be recorded to a computer. The two main ways are through a microphone or through the auxillary input port. It is as easy as it sounds.

To record through the microphone, simply connect your microphone to the computer and start your recording software. This software could be Sound Recorder found on the Windows Operating System. To record through the auxillary input port, connect the output of the playback device to the computer.