A motherboard is a printed circuit board that contains the stuff that makes up the computer, or it has slots to put some of that stuff in. Your computer is a box of electricity, and what makes it work and display stuff to you is the flow of that electricity. Each component in the computer…
Dust, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad. If you see dust sitting on top of your computer, that’s not a problem. The problem is when it gets inside, or when it obstructs the airflow generated by the fans. In the Tip on Airflow, I recommended not putting the computer directly on…
what it is–in real people’s terms RAM stands for for Random Access Memory. It’s not storage, and it’s not the hard drive. It’s the thing your computer uses to keep track of stuff it’s working on right now or very recently. Your computer can’t start without it; if you don’t have RAM installed, it simply…
Somewhere on your computer—regardless of whether it’s a laptop or desktop—is a collection of vents. You can probably at times hear fan noises in that vicinity, and if you put your hand near the vents, you should be able to feel air coming out (assuming the machine is up and running). Airflow is…
I can’t possibly keep up with all the websites I like to keep up with. I don’t have time to visit them all every day, and there are some days I don’t have time to visit any of them. And yet I don’t want to miss anything, geek that I am. How ever would I…
I love technology, but I didn’t grow up speaking the language of it. I learned to type on a typewriter that didn’t require power and rang a bell when I got to the end of the line, and the bell was to remind me to move the apparatus back to the beginning of the paper….
A sudden departure in our department resulted in our System Administrators being left short-handed. For the most part, most departments in most organizations can tolerate short-term short-staffing. It generally means that activities can take a bit longer to complete, and it can leave the remaining staff feeling overwhelmed. The PC support group has felt that…
Well before the old year ended I had built up a good roll of momentum on my techknowledgy goals of Security+ certification, a working understanding of Python, and learning how to use Dreamweaver. Among all of the tech available to learn, I chose these three carefully for their immediacy of implementation, their property of being…
I love the Christmas season, and if the weather has several chilly days in a row, so much the better. I get a lot of enjoyment in finding unique gifts for the unique people in my life, I even like the wrapping process. I love caroling, and other opportunities to sing the songs that proclaim…
I have had a great year. I realize that these past few years have been rough for a lot of people, and I have had a very untypical experience. I was able to transition seamlessly in 2011 from employment to self-employment, and then in 2012 back into employment, with no loss of income or time;…