With the holidays around the corner, it’s time to start researching those gifts that are on our lists. Most electronics are costly and we want to spend our dollars wisely. And lets face it, no one can know everything about every gadget and gizmo out there. For me, the weak link is photography. And, as luck would have it, I’ve had two requests for digital cameras from the kids this year.

I’ve read reviews all over the internet but in the end I went back to the one site that has never let me down. Steve’s Digicam site is the best resource for anyone planning on buying a digital camera. Established in 1997, Steve has maintained a straight forward, no nonsense site that’s overflowing with information.

My first stop at Steve’s is always his Best Camera roundup. I’ve purchased my last two cameras from this list and was pleased with both choices. The list appears to be updated frequently so check back often for new picks.

If the whole digital camera thing confuses you, Steve’s Digicam Dictionary will help make sense of all the terminology. Have a question? Head to the Digicam forums and ask other users for help. Steve even offers Digicam software suggestions to really make the most of your photography.

Steve also has the Original Digital Photo of the Day Contest. Read the rules then enter your best shot each month. Even if you don’t win one of the terrific prizes, you might still get featured as a photo of the day!

When I find a website that is notable, I usually look around a while, bookmark it and then blog about it. Sometimes, though, I get distracted. For instance, every time I headed over to Gadget Advisor to collect information and write a review of it, I started reading and reading and reading until I realized that time had gotten away from me and I still hadn’t written anything about the site. That isn’t fair to my readers, is it?

The fact is, there’s so much usable information here that it’s very easy to dig in and enjoy. While other sites offer fluff and filler between their meaty articles, Gadget Advisor offers only the “meat.” Looking for a universal remote? Check out the Gadget category and you’ll find a very cool Logitech that’s even rechargeable.

With HDTV coming to my neighborhood soon, I’ve been looking into new media/entertainment equipment. I’ve got a house full of computers but I thought it was time we looked into a networked media player to go along with the Plasma TV my husband has been eying. I know how to configure a powerhouse PC but I’m lost on the entertaining end. Not only did Gadget Advisor have a great recommendation, but also clued me in to the fact that not all LCD TVs are HD.

I could go on and on about this site since I haven’t even touched on their computer hardware and software sections, but I really want to get back to reading their reviews of backup online services. And I noticed an article on the Thermaltake Blacx Hard Drive Dock. And something about OpenOffice 3.0 being released.

There’s just so much good stuff at Gadget Advisor. I’ll see you there!

I love hardware especially anything past its prime. I tend to “collect” discarded electronics and then fix them up to squeeze more use from them. It’s all part of my packrat thing and the fact that I love hand tools.

The biggest obstacle to this harmless past time is that most of the older items I have do not come with any documentation. Add to that the fact that most people have tossed out their old stuff, there aren’t many places to find help with specific problems. Or is there?

FixYa is fast becoming my very favorite site ever. This is the best place for any consumer to get information on virtually any product at all. From computer hardware, photography equipment, kitchen appliances or even cars, you’ll find troubleshooting information, tech support accessories and Manuals.

You can search the vast database or go straight to one of the experts with your question. If you have a special area of expertise, you can also register as an expert and answer questions. FixYa combines an easy way to find the information you need with a helping community to give consumers a much needed helping hand.

I first put FixYa through a few tests to see if it would really be useful. First, I searched for my old computer monitor, entering Hitachi CM772. Sure enough, it was listed along with a list of questions about monitors, a link to accessories and one to the owner’s manual.

I also searched for accessories for my daughter’s old camcorder. She lost the battery charger a long time ago and it’s been sitting in her room, not being used at all. It took just less than a minute to track down a battery charger for the camcorder. Not bad.

I also searched for some generic terms like CAT5e cable, vacuum (I need a new one) and Bunn (as in coffee maker). Every term brought up usable information.

I haven’t yet tried asking a question but I’m sure I’ll do that soon enough. Heck, maybe I’ll even offer myself as an expert – I’m just not certain what my area of expertise is. Oh yeah, drinking coffee.

Every time I visit my cell phone provider’s store, I walk away with my head spinning and sometimes with my blood pressure boiling. If I refuse to consider whatever featured product the sales people are selling, I tend to get a cold shoulder and the representative’s bright, happy smile turns to a stone cold grimace. Not always, but often.

One of the problems with these places is the huge array of phones and very little understandable information. I suppose I feel the same way a computer novice would feel when purchasing a computer.

The next time I head into my local Alltel store, I’ll be prepared by doing my homework at Phone Arena. Not only can you get the latest news and phone specs there, but they also have excellent reviews of various phones.

I really appreciate being able to go directly to an Alltel section to see the phones there, rather than having to wade through every other carrier’s line. Most of all, I love the forum. I’m all about community and this one is quite active. I’ve been reading about unlocked cell phones and I think I’m beginning to understand. I also found an interesting thread on the Verizon acquisition of Alltel (or is it a merger?) and I’m not quite as upset about it as I had been.

Oh, and if you’re curious, I kind of want the LG Scoop. It isn’t the highest rated, but I like the keyboard on it.

Sometimes I wonder how many tech people (aka geeks) have college degrees and how many are self-taught. I’m not putting down a college degree; I wish I had one. With technology, though, it seems there’s a lot to be said for hands-on education. I taught myself enough to be hired by an ISP in 1999. The owners at the ISP were very generous with their knowledge and I found myself learning even more than I ever thought possible.

Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that I learn best by just rolling up my sleeves and jumping in to whatever project interests me. From xhtml and css to taking a screwdriver to my tower, I learn by doing. While I’m sure I would do well in college classes, I’d much rather find online tutorials or the cool programming lesson at HacketyHack.

Hackety Hack is a free download that walks you through lessons (currently) on Ruby. Kids are using Hackety Hack but there’s no reason why adults wanting to pick up new skills can’t use it as well. It’s a quick download and is written in easy to understand language.

Part of the “bylaws” of Hackety Hack state:

• Beginners should be greeted to Hackety Hack by a cartoon character. (For the sake of argument, let’s call this character: Hacky Mouse.)
• Also, helpful sentences. Preferably short and with a period.
• Hackety Hack is fundamentally a browser and a programming language. For now, Gecko and Ruby.
• I’m only using Ruby because I know it. Hopefully, more languages can be added!
• Again, this isn’t about Ruby, it’s about simply offering a place for plainspeople to tinker with code.

My kids love video games but I’m hopeful that installing Hackety Hack on their computers and bookmarking the site for them will encourage at least one of my kids to give programming a shot. Surely, I can’t be the only geek in this family.

I’m still going to pick up a few books on programming since I like having a hard copy of whatever I’m learning. (And because I’d rather hold a book while I’m soaking in the jacuzzi than a laptop.) Hackety Hack is perfect, though, for hands on experience and for capturing a kids’ interest.

If you use a Windows based computer, you probably know all about protecting yourself from Malware, worms and other nasty stuff. It isn’t that other OSes aren’t vulnerable, they are. It’s partially because Windows is more widely used so those wishing to create chaos are naturally drawn to Windows.

Anyone who has been infected by one of these exploits knows the signs. Your computer slows down. Your interent connection slows down or gets flaky. Windows pop up. The machine shuts down. And those are just some of the things you may notice; other behaviors may be happening underground that are even more dangerous. Your files may be erased, sent out to random email addresses or who knows what else.

If you’re going through this or if you just want to be prepared for the chance that it might happen to you, check out Castle Cops Malware Removal and Prevention Guide. Read carefully. Follow all the instructions. Download the programs that are listed and run them in the order the Guide gives you.

These are some of the best programsfor cleaning a computer. They each hunt down bad files, clutter and general nonsense from your drive. It’s like they have Nikon rifle scopes honing in on each problem file. Of course, you want to always back up your machine first, just in case something is removed that shouldn’t have been.

For additional help, check out Castle Cops refernce on HijackThis as well as how to get help with your Hijack This log.

Once you’re all squeaky clean, follow the instructions to Prevent Re-infection. And stay alert!

I need some advice. Or instruction.

My cell phone has been misbehaving lately. Sometimes when I flip the phone open to answer a call, it just keeps ringing, as if I didn’t flip it open at all. If I then hit the Send button to answser it that way, it still keeps ringing. The only solution is to then shut the phone and wait for the person to call back. Or I can just call the person back myself.

It doesn’t happen every day or even every week. It’s random. Sometimes, it happens several times in a row, then it won’t happen again for days or weeks. Having had cell phones for over a decade, I know that when these things start, they just keep getting worse. They never get better.

Every time my phone has needed to be replaced, the Alltel salesperson tells me they can download my address book. When they try, they say it can’t be done. I never know why. They don’t know why. It’s happened at least three times and it’s very annoying. It’s going to be even more annoying this time because my daughter added oodles of phone numbers to my phone for me a few weeks ago.

I do not want to have to add all those numbers back into another phone.

My current phone is an LG AX8600 . It has a micro sd card. What I want to know is how to put my phone book on the card so I can transfer to a new phone later. I need simple instructions using little words.

Don’t laugh at me. I can do all kinds of things with a computer. I can fix them and tweak them and even build them. Cell phones frustrated me. They’re too small for one thing. I’m old and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. And my phone does not have a keyboard. I get annoyed with the keypad.

So, how do I do this? Anyone?

Anyone who writes for the public, whether as a traditional journalist or as a blogger, knows the importance of an attention-grabbing title. The headline grabs the readers and draws them in. It doesn’t matter if the headline is misinterpreted, as long as it entices the reader to read.

I mention this because when I read a headline about curtains for Desktops, my first thought was something that would cover a computer monitor. If not an actual curtain, then perhaps the article was about some type of software, like a screen saver.

In reality, the article is a prediction that desktop computers will soon be replaced by laptops. Ha! I sure did read that wrong. But the article is thought-provoking and even more interesting than I’d initially thought.

I admit that I know many people who are buying laptops as their primary computer today. Kids want laptops so they can take them when they visit friends or travel from school to home. Business people want laptops so they can work from home on weekends or in the evening. Even older people are looking at laptops, possibly because they’ve downsized their homes and space is limited.

On the other hand, I don’t see laptops completely replacing desktop computers. Dollar for dollar, a desktop is a much better deal. With identical configuration, the desktop will always been less expensive than the laptop. Although I’ve upgraded my laptop a few times, I’m still more comfortable working on the inside of my desktop than on a laptop. Replacing a desktop is even more of a bargain since the monitor doesn’t necessarily need to be replaced at the same time as the tower.

I’m blogging right now on my laptop because I’m at my mom’s instead of at my house. When I’m home, I’m almost always on my desktop simply because it’s faster and I like the keyboard better. I see laptops taking more of the market, especially among those who use their computer mostly for the internet. But laptops will never totally replace desktops. That’s my prediction.

You would think that knowing what I do about computers, and considering how many I fix, I’d surely know to check to see how bloated my hard drive is. You’d think. You’d be wrong.

I’ve been growing more and more frustrated with this laptop and now I realize it’s because I’ve neglected to clean up my hard drive. I know it’s filled with junk that I don’t need but going through my files and streamlining my drive takes time. I don’t have time right now. I want to be able to push a button or click an icon and have my hard drive lean and mean. I guess I’m looking for a software Leptovox solution, to burn the fat from my hard drive and get it running like new. Or close to new.

Okay, so there’s no easy solution. Looks like I’ll be doing some digital cleaning this week.

Listen up, kids. We have a lesson to be learned here.

If you take very good care of your computer, it should last you for several years. So, if you’re working on your Master’s degree there’s no reason why your computer shouldn’t see you through to the end, dissertation and all.

Of course, just about anything can go wrong. Like lightening or a power surge. Or an OS malfunction. Or a virus or worm. And when that something goes wrong, you’ll be so grateful that you took the advice of your favorite geek and backed up your hard drive regularly. Because, seriously, if you don’t back up, that’s a sure-fire recipe for disaster. And a great way to lose all of your Master’s degree work.

No, I’m not the one who didn’t back up. I was simply the one entrusted with the task of retrieving the 80-page paper that had been 2 years in the making. Before I go on, let me just say that the “pretend DOS” that XP (and Vista) uses did nothing but frustrate me further. Can we please have real DOS?

Anyway, the point is not to bash Microsoft or XP or even Vista. Heck, it’s not even to bash smart people who do dumb things like not back up their hard drives. The point is that when my brain froze my friend Amity rescued me with a reminder of the best way to retrieve files before scouring a hard drive to start fresh.

When you can’t get to the files you need and you’re ready to lose your mind because the OS won’t boot, be prepared with BART PE. First, right now while you’re thinking about it, go and grab the BART PE builder program. Use it this very minute to build a Bart PE bootable disk.

Keep in mind that BartPE runs on Windows 2000, XP and Vista but not on Windows NT4, ME or 9x.

Now, if your machine won’t boot and you really need to get files copied to a jump drive or CD, pop in your bootable BartPE disk and grab the files you need. It’s really that simple. If you need some step by step instructions, you’ll find them on the BartPE page.

But do regular backups, anyway. Just to be safe.