Keeping Your Children Safe Online

You hear many horror stories about children using the internet, and a quick look in the news will immediately warn you that this is a breeding ground for extreme views, for pedophiles and for 'cyber bullying'. Of course that's not quite the reality of the internet, in fact the internet is a fantastic tool for democracy, for freedom of speech and for creativity. The problem is though, that not everyone uses it that way and few mentally ill individuals ruin it for everyone. So the question is, how do you go about protecting your children from all this and what do you go about blocking them from? How do you protect them without controlling them or without mollycoddling them?
The first thing to implement is parental control software. Parental control measures will allow you to block keywords in websites and this can allow you to block off any site that has a mention of something you don't want your child to look at. For instance you can use parental control in order to block sites that have profanities in their text, or to block websites that have sexual images or references. Of course this will keep them safe from many different things that could otherwise upset them. If you suspect your child has tried to bypass your parental control, then normally you can find this out by checking the browsing history on your web browser (be suspicious of any conspicuously empty histories too).
The problem is though, that it's not just static text you need to worry about with parental control. The real danger you see is the people who are online and who can engage in cyber bullying and in stalking or grooming.
So how do you keep your children safe from these threats? Well parental control can help to a degree to begin with. This is because parental control will also allow you to block specific sites and when your child is young it might be a good idea to block them from the social networking sites. This then can keep them safe from bullies and from strangers until they are old enough to handle them. In the interim you should also educate your children on safe use of the net.
This is quite easy to begin with on something like Facebook which is actually designed with safety in mind. On Facebook you are not meant to accept anyone who isn't already your friend in real life. This is easy enough to monitor, you simply vet all friend requests. Likewise you can do the same on MSN or Skype, and while this won't keep you safe from imposters or from people who are pretending to be their friend, it will help to limit the threat considerably.
The other form of parental control - and the best form to begin with - is simply to supervise sessions online. Have one computer that is in a family room and make sure that you are in there when they use it and you can this way prevent them from going on malicious sites or from talking to the wrong people.

Load Faster

Many people will only use computer technical support and computer repair in instances where their computers have actually broken. In other words they press the on button and nothing happens and they then decide that it's time to call computer repair services. This is a very good idea and of course in this scenario computer repair services are the best for the job. However at the same time this is far from the only application of computer repair services and there are many other situations in which computer repair services can be useful.
One such scenario is when your computer doesn't run as fast as it could - and particularly when it loads up very slowly. This is highly frustrating and it can be very boring while at the same time if you are using the computer at work then you will often find that this drastically damages your productivity and leaves you getting very little down. Meanwhile this is often a sign of something more severe and you will find that computer repair services are necessary before the computer gets so slow it never comes on...
As such you need to find ways to speed your computer up and the loading speed in particular and to do this you can use computer repair. They will be able to do a PC performance check and find out how well your PC is performing in general. A PC performance check can highlight problems you didn't even realize were there - perhaps for instance you forgot that your computer used to load up in a heartbeat. At the same time a PC performance check can help to ascertain the nature of the problem and what needs to be done in order to fix it.
Getting a PC performance check then should be like getting an MOT. You should do it from time to time in order to make sure that your computer is at full capacity and that way you can prevent it from ever completely packing in and costing you a lot more to repair and a lot more time to get around.
Here's one thing you can do yourself in the meantime though to get your PC to run faster. First of all, go to 'Run' by clicking the Windows button. Now type in 'MSConfig'. This will open you up a control panel with tabs and among those tabs will be 'Start Up'. Click this tag and you will then be presented with a list of program names. These are the programs that load up when you load up your computer and the ones checked means that you want them to start up every time. Un-check those ones and the computer will load twice as quickly because it will have less to load each time. At the same time it will prevent the programs from running unbeknownst to you in the background when you do other things so it will be generally faster at all times. Just be careful when choosing which programs to un-check as sometimes you can end up getting rid of crucial software that needs to run for your PC to perform.

Using computer repair from time to time and getting a PC performance check is a good way to keep your computer running at full speed and to prevent problems before they arise

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6711340

Tips for the Technophobic: How to Care for Your Toner Cartridge

Question: why have today's printers become more affordable? Is it because of the advancement in technology allowing the manufacture of cost-effective printer parts? Or is it because of the reduction in the quality of hardware to keep up with the price demands of the printer-buying populace?
Actually, it is neither of the above. You would be surprised to know that the secret to the increased profit of printer companies even in this time of economic recession lies in the number of cartridges they sell. After all, buying a printer is considered a one-time cost compared to the constant expense of buying a new cartridge every time your printer runs out of toner. Thus, it is only but right to make the most of your cartridge such as the HP Q7551X through knowledge about its care.
The following are simple tips and tricks even people who are not techno-savvy can follow in caring for their toner cartridge such as the HP Q7551X:
1) Installing the toner cartridge. When installing the cartridge, be sure to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. These are found in the cartridge packaging. However, most cartridges follow the same basic procedure.
First, you need to take out the old cartridge from the printer. An illustration is usually found in your printer, in the help section of your printer software, or online in the Web site of your printer's manufacturer. You will see a tape that covers the print head (the metal portion found at the bottom) of the cartridge. Remove this. By holding the side of the cartridge, insert it in the carrier and close the lid.
Be sure to print a test page to see if your printer is aligned. This will ensure quality prints every time.
2) Handling the toner cartridge. When you remove the tape that covers the print head, be sure to keep from touching the print head. Doing so will cause your cartridge to malfunction and may not be used despite being new. When prompted that you are almost out of toner, never be tempted to take out your cartridge and shake it. In case you have to bring your printer for a check-up and you take out your cartridge, never leave it uncovered and exposed to room light. Read the next tips of how to store your cartridge for best use.
3) Storing of toner cartridge. When replacing your toner cartridge, be sure to keep the new cartridge's original packaging in case you need to store it. Keep your opened but unused toner away from heat, light, and humidity. Preferably, you can store it in an opaque cabinet, impenetrable to light. You also need to place your cartridge upright in a balanced area. Remember, you need to use an unopened cartridge within two years and an opened one within six months.
Keep yourself up-to-date with the correct use of your toner cartridge such as the HP Q7551X. Remember that toner cartridges cost you more in the long run compared to your printers. Besides, when you follow the above best use tips, you also extend the life of your printer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6712829

Robots! They're Not Just for the Movies Anymore

Growing up I always thought of robots as the creations of evil villains, all dead set on the destruction of the world. Where would I get such an idea? That big, mysterious metal thing in The Day the Earth Stood Still kept me awake nights. Dr. Smith's silly robot on Lost in Space wanted to be good in spite of his creator's evil intentions. In the 1921 play R.U.R. (short for Rosum's Universal Robots) by Karl Capek, humanoid robots -- again, evil -- take over the world. Incidentally, playwright Kapek coined the word "robot," which in Czech means "forced labor."
You'll want to come back to that one.
Those were characters, the products of creative minds -- fictional robots. Today's non-fiction, real life robots are mostly not trying to take over the world, nor have they been created by Dr. Evils. Most recent developments in robotics have totally benevolent purposes. (I have taken the liberty of diverting you to sites of specific robotic information that I find interesting.
Coming up, Robbie, Rosie, Klaato, R2D2 and C3PO!
Real robots do simple household chores. Working alone or together with humans, they also build intricate machines like cars and computers. And you can sleep easier knowing that new robots keep a constant lookout for danger, while others venture into dangerous or hard to get to places where humans can't or shouldn't risk going. Today's robots are all intended for good works. Saving lives, improving quality of life, saving time, saving money, fighting our wars, cleaning our floors and having our coffee ready when we wake up.
Although pretty much all of the grainy black-and-white pot boilers of the 50s portrayed robots as humanoid and vicious, a popular TV show from that era - and a blockbuster movie that came along a few years later - changed how we think of robots. The movie was of course Star Wars, with R2D2 and C3PO leading the parade of metallic movie creatures designed to do good for mankind.
Although The Jetsons was born in the 50s, when it comes to seeing the future of robots, The Jetsons is the hands down winner. Since it's fiction, and a cartoon, the Jetson family robots have individual personalities and quirks, but they were still there to make life simpler - cleaning, cooking, clothing care, office work - like a dream that seems to be coming true.
You may ask: What exactly is a robot? The Merriam Webster Dictionary offers three basic definitions:
1. a. A machine that looks like a human being and performs various complex acts (such as walking or talking) of a human being; also. a similar but fictional machine whose lack of capacity for human emotions is often emphasized; b. an efficient insensitive person who functions automatically; (we all know at least one)
2. A device that automatically performs complicated and often repetitive tasks;
3. A mechanism guided by automatic controls.
However you choose to define a robot, you know they're here to stay when respected universities offer robotics as a field of study.
Each year, there are more robotics design and engineering programs opening at colleges, universities and even junior colleges.
The list of the top programs is impressive, with Cal Tech, Carnegie Mellon and Colombia leading the list.
So, with all these creative robot nerds emerging with big ideas, just exactly what does the future hold?
Inventor Ted Chavalas has a good track record for having his finger on the pulse of the technological present and a crystal ball into its future. His original Panoscan MK-1 digital panoramic camera was designed with an image size capacity too large to be opened by any but the largest computers that were around in 1997; and dial-up Internet cowered at the prospect of transporting those 500 megapixel images across the web (fortunately Broadband caught up with Chavalas). Now he is introducing The Ferret, through Panoscan's General Robotics division. This is from the company's 100-word publicity blurb:
The Ferret is a remotely controlled camera robot, designed specifically for under vehicle inspection. Low profile, circular design, and movable lights and camera, allow The Ferret to move under any vehicle - sports cars to big rigs, night or day, to "ferret" out explosives, contraband, critical damage or leaks. With an offset range of 300 meters, The Ferret is the ideal "first robot in" for a wide range of security and preventative maintenance inspections.
You can see it in motion here: http://www.ferretrobot.com
I asked Chavalas about his future robotic plans, and I also wanted to know what he sees in his crystal ball in 25 years, say.
Q: So, the Ferret is launching. What's the next thing in the General Robotics development pipeline?
A: I can't talk specifically about any R&D, but I will say, we are only interested in making products designed to meet and exceed customer needs. I've seen companies make a product in a particular way that suits them, but is not a good fit for the customer, so they end up trying to convince the customer to change what they need. I never want to do that. I can tell you that we are getting quite a number of requests for a robot that can navigate rougher terrain and is more resistance to weather different weather conditions. The need seems to be for a ruggedized inspection system with more sensors and features.
Q: Will it look more like a human than an Olympic discus?
A: No.
Q: Okay. That's the immediate future of General Robotics' world, but beyond that, look, if you will to the year 2036, 25 years ahead. Will robots be everywhere?
A: I have no doubt that robots are going to play an ever important role in our lives. But they can't ever be more trouble than they're worth. Before they can have universal acceptance, they must be robust, rugged work horses that seldom need maintenance, and are worth the investment and time required to keep them going. I think that if you look at where computers were in the 80s, or think how difficult it was to do anything in MS-DOS. The world is waiting for the robotic version of the MAC. Elegant, completely intuitive, efficient, smart. The Ferret is an example of how I see robots working in the future. I don't see a jack-of-all-trades robot of the future, but rather life will include an army of little robot each with a different task to do. In fact, we are already surrounded by robots today. We just don't think of them as robots.

• Your dishwasher is a robot for washing dishes.
• Your washing machine is a robot for cleaning laundry.
• When you call UPS or FedEx you speak with a robot.
• The new iPhone 4S has Siri (another very smart robot).
• When your car gets dirty you can drive it to a robotic car wash.
• Every time you mail a letter it is sorted and routed by robots.
• When you go to the grocery store and buy processed foods they are prepared by robots.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6702817