Castellini on Computers FREE Weekly Email NEWSLETTER
September 12, 2007

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In this week's issue. . .

*** TIP OF THE WEEK

*** GEEK SPEEK OF THE WEEK - (Simple definition of common computer terms)

*** COMPUTER NEWS...and comment

*** LAST WEEK'S POLL RESULTS

*** ADAM'S COMMENTS - Stuff from the digital world that is rolling around in Adam's head.

*** Email of the week

If you haven't tuned in to our live program on Thursday nights, you don't know what you are missing. We have become an overnight Internet sensation. Last week's show was one of our most successful.

Where else can you go to hear your questions answered via email, live chat, phone calls, video and telepathically all at the same time?

We are glad to see that so many people have listened to the audio recording of our show during the week, but keep in mind that if you tune in live the experience is just like being there.

Email  your questions to us and we will answer them live on the air or on our daily website updates!

CUSTOM COMPUTER HELP FROM RICK & ADAM

We have been posting a new how-to video every week since November and the feedback has been tremendous. Now YOU have the opportunity to get your own customized video tutorial about a topic that you are having trouble with or just want to learn.

To learn more, visit: www.HelpMeRick.com/videohelp

TIP OF THE WEEK
Backup Outlook Express Email - Video Tip

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO TIP

 This week's tip also applies to Windows Vista users who use Windows Mail...which is basically Outlook Express with a new name.

I still recommend that emailers save their important pictures and documents sent to them via email to a folder on their computer for easier backup (see my video tip on how to do this by clicking here), but many people also save a great deal of email and don't want to lose it. Outlook Express (Windows Mail) saves all email in files with a .dbx extension. The files are named for the folders you have created in your email, so you will see files like inbox.dbx, saved.dbx, family.dbx, etc. Whatever email folders you have created will have a corresponding .dbx file.

These files, unfortunately, are buried in the Windows files system. This week's video tip demonstrates how to locate these files on your computer so you can then copy them to flash drive (best idea) or CD/DVD.

BONUS TIP
Create an updated bargain hunter homepage

I must apologize to all you dial-up users, but this one can only be demonstrated with a video. Click here to watch it.

GEEK SPEEK

We can't talk about this word too much. In fact, we have seen too many cases lately where people either didn't understand or didn't institute this word.

Backup, put simply, is to have a duplicate of something in case the original gets lost, stolen, damaged or becomes otherwise unavailable.

The tricky part of backing up is that there is no set way to do it. There is no "Backup my stuff" option in Windows nor is there a backup button on the keyboard.

Backing up ranges from simply copying essential files onto a removable disk or flash drive to running multiple backups on internal drives, removable media and/or off-site Internet storage.

To determine whether you have everything properly backed up, ask yourself this question:

What would I lose if my house burned down or my computer were stolen right now?

Any answer that causes panic should be backed up before the sun goes down tomorrow. Everyone knows that if you ever think to yourself, "Someday I need to back this up," it causes a cosmic rift and your computer is 90 percent more likely to crash in the coming month.

BACKUP

COMPUTER NEWS...and comment

iPod NEWS
This story actually hit last Thursday after we sent out the newsletter. But, we will assume that you haven't been reading your computer news.

Apple released an entire line of new iPods this week and they improve upon previous version in almost every way.

The only iPod model to go unchanged is the iPod shuffle which was redesigned earlier this year.

The new models include:

NFL NEWS

The NFL is reporting that the Patriots have been caught video taping opponents defensive signals.

NFL rules prohibit video taping from the sidelines or coaches booth. The NFL also suspects that the Patriots misused radio frequencies in a recent game to achieve 431 yards on offense.

FIREFOX NEWS

Firefox 2.0.0.7 sightings are being reported this week. If you are asked to upgrade your Firefox, do it. The fixes are basically security fixes, but keeping up with updates will be important as we draw near to Firefox 3.0 due out next year.

CAR NEWS

Whether you are a car enthusiast or  not, you have to love a good industry car show. 

The Frankfurt Auto Show begins this weekend. This is the big show for exotics and foreign manufacturers to show off their latests projects. This year's emphasis is not surprisingly on efficient practical cars. 

In the early announcements, the stretched Mini Cooper has to be one of our favorites, especially with its 45 MPG rating.

You can keep up with show news here.

POLL Results

How much did you pay for your
most recent computer?

Next week's poll:
How many times per year to you call tech support?

$200-500                17%

$501-750                19%

$756-1000                23%

$1000-1300            18%

$1301-1800            10%

More than $1800    9%

It was given to me as a gift    2%

I only use public computers like the library, coffee shops, etc.    1%

ADAM'S COMMENTS

Windows Vista has really had me thinking lately about the future of computers.

Google and others have developed very usable programs that work from any Internet based computer allowing anyone to access fully functional programs and all of their data from any Internet enabled computer anywhere.

USB flash drives and portable hard drives have also taken on abilities that were once only found in stand-alone computers. These drives can now run entire programs allowing you to plug them into any computer and run your programs. Once the device is unplugged all of your data goes with it.

Smartphones have replaced 90 percent of what most users used to need a laptop for. Email, basic web surfing, simple games and calendar management can now be done as easily on a cell phone as an expensive and bulky laptop.

I think that in the next five years computers will exist in one of three forms, and none of these forms resembles what we use today.

1. The credit card computer. The day will come when hundreds of gigabytes will fit on a chip as thin as a credit card and as small as a Tic Tac. As of this moment such a chip can hold over 30 gigabytes.

Perhaps one day we will simply have dumb terminals, computer monitors, keyboards and mice that use a simple network interface to connect to the Internet and devices such as printers, digital cameras and cell phones. These terminals will have no memory or storage abilities.

To use these computers, you will insert a small device that you carry in your wallet, or on your keyring. The dumb terminal will suddenly become your computer as it uses the programs and data from your credit card computer that is with you at all times.

2. The cell  phone computer. This is a variation of the credit card computer, but it  is much more practical.

The iPhone was not the first smartphone to combine computer functions with the portability of a cell phone, but it was the first smartphone to get the average user's attention.

Devices like the Blackberry, Palm Treo and iPhone do more than the average computer was capable of seven years ago.

As memory, power and features expand in portable cell phones, would it be any surprise if we were able to carry our entire computer in such a small package?

Connect the phone into a similar dumb terminal as discussed in number 1 and you have a computer that works in the office, on the road and at home.

3. The Web 2.0 system. There is a good possibility that many computer users will be too attached to their non-portable desktop systems. There is comfort in having a solid 15lb. tower that connects all of your devices.

It is possible that personal computers may stay physically similar to what they are today for quite a while. However, the software on those systems will dramatically change.

Wireless broadband Internet will almost certainly reach most computer users in the next 10 years. This will lead to  Internet based computers. These computers will have a very plain operating system and limited storage capabilities. Powerful processors and video cards may still be essential for those who do games, graphics and CAD, but all programs and data will be stored in online accounts that can be accessed and used from any computer anywhere.

The debate between Mac and PC users will disappear as the operating system will play little or no role in the function of the computer.

I would not be at all surprised if Google is the driving force behind this type of computing. Especially since they already are the driving force for this type of computing.

No matter what type of computer we use, I think that the obvious end will be that TVs will double as monitors and all computing will be portable.

EMAIL OF THE WEEK

Hello Rick,

----------------

Hi Wendy,

Not sure where the "girls" comment came from, but I am the LAST person on Earth who want to offend any women or human of the opposite gender...so advice is noted.

Regarding your question about downloading our videos, no, we do not offer a download link in addition to the embedded videos on our site. IF, however, a person would like to download videos from the web that are embedded, I would suggest using Mozilla Firefox and add an extension called Video Downloader or other similar extensions for Firefox.

Thanks for writing and have a good day.

Rick

Castellini on Computers & HelpMeRick.com  ©2007
Rick Castellini and Adam Cochran