Click. Whirr. Click again. Uh-oh. That’s one too many clicks. Sounds like you’ve just heard the “Click of Death.” Hope you backed everything up!
You’d be surprised how many people don’t, unfortunately. But sudden disk drive death syndrome (SDDDS, an acronym I just made up) is an unfortunate fact of life. Would you believe that in the U.S., over 170,000 hard drives are “lost” every year? Of course, it’s not the disk we’re worried about – it’s the data on the disk, consisting of vital and probably almost irreplaceable information.
Data backups …

Not too long ago, “sending someone a short message” entailed writing a note and sticking it on the refrigerator door – and all it cost you to send was the time to jot down a couple of sentences on a piece of scrap paper. Nowadays, of course, no respectable note-writer would bother with pen and paper; instead, they would send an e-mail, or, better, a short phone message, using their cellphone’s SMS feature. SMS, of course, has a great advantage over the old system, in that you don’t have to …

D’ja ever notice that somehow, some way, no matter what you do, you always end up spending more on your cell phone bills than you expect to? No, this is not the opening to a Seinfeld routine (although I bet he has one on the subject!). But it’s a situation we’ve all become familiar with: The cell phone companies present us with “plans” that include free minutes, free chat, free internet – free! – but we somehow end up paying the same, or more, with each subsequent plan!
How could this …

Once there were “boomboxes,” those quaint suitcase-sized stereos that turned heads – and created headaches – whenever they were in the vicinity. Then music went “private,” as Walkmans and iPods provided walkers, runners, and bus and train riders with hours of musical enjoyment.
And now that we’re in the age of the “digital device,” the music player of choice for a new generation is – the cellphone! It’s all about “convergence,” using a single device for data, messaging, internet use, and of course, playing music and video. And because they’re …

Computers have been accused of causing all sorts of health problems – from obesity to lower back pain, from neck pain to carpal tunnel syndrome. Considering the maladies associated with computers, it’s amazing the government hasn’t put warning stickers on them yet!
But as it turns out, your computer can help you with your well-being – if used properly, that is. There are many web sites and online services you can use to keep yourself in tip-top shape – helping you to diet, reduce pain, get information on treatments, and even …