Computer and Internet Resources in the Washington DC area

The Roku box is a really cool idea. You can choose Netflix movies to watch on your TV, streaming them over your internet connection. You don't even need a computer to use the service. It would probably work well for someone who isn't technically savvy, and let them get movies on demand.

Here's a look at the little Acer EEE PC1005HA with Windows XP. CNET gave it an Editor's Choice award, and liked the really long battery life (over 6 hours). It's got a 10 inch screen.

more videos

Google Earth free software great for learning about the environment

Kill A Watt measures your electricity use; Arlington County Libraries let you borrow one

Viruses and privacy:

StopBadware.org is a good central place to find out about spyware. They're sponsored by Google and Sun Microsystems, so they're about as trustworthy a place as you'll find for recommendations. If you look around the site, you should find links to reviews of recommended programs to remove spyware. (Note: some programs that claim to remove spyware actually ARE spyware, so it's important to stick to using programs recommended by reliable sources.)

Symantec (Norton) Security Response lists the latest virus threats; the higher the number the more serious the threat (3, 4, and 5 are the ones to really be alert to.)

Diamond CS has a free program called Process Guard. It alerts you any time a process or application attempts to start. You can allow it, deny it, or set up a rule to always allow it. Very helpful, but really oriented toward a more advanced user.

Shields UP! is a useful tool to help you test your internet connections security. Click on the "Probe My Ports!" button to begin the brief test. If you don't understand the results, you can print the results page and show them to the folks at a computer store.

General:

Check your POP mail If you have been unable to check your email for awhile (broken computer, inability to connect to your ISP, you're out of town, etc.) this is a good way to check your POP type mail account. It will leave the mail on your ISP's mail server so you'll still be able to retrieve your messages onto your computer later.

Need to instant message someone, but you're at someone else's computer? You can use these Java messengers without downloading software onto their computer:

AOL AIM Express

Broadband Reports.com publishes peoples' review of high speed (DSL, cable, etc.) internet providers and lets you check availabilty.

TOAST.net - Performance Test - test the speed of your internet connection.

Market Pro Computer shows has shows on the weekend at different places. Lots of vendors sell new and used computer equipment and software at good prices.

localDC.com Control Center
(please use caution when operating)

Helpful Windows shortcuts:

F11 - toggles between a normal window and full screen; works on most browsers.

hold "alt" key then press "tab" - toggles between windows. You can continue holding the alt key and repeatedly press tab key to get to the window you want.

F1 "Help window" for the program you're using

"alt" + "print screen" or "ctrl" + "print screen" will do a screen capture. It captures an image of either everything on your computer monitor or the active window. You can then paste it into a program like Front Page or some versions of Netscape Composer.

"alt" - highlights the "File" menu in the program you're using. Then you can use your arrow keys to move across and up and down through the menus. This can be helpful on a laptop that has an awkward pointing device. Pressing "Esc" gets you one level back on the menu, or out of it.

"Backspace" takes you back to the previous web page (on most browsers).

If you don't have antivirus software on your computer, you can do a virus scan online free from Panda: