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.

One of my favorite things about the internet is the free stuff. I love that people share their creations with others. I love that people share their knowledge.

I learned to build web pages by looking at other people’s code. I’ve also tried very hard to learn about graphic design. For some reason, I just don’t get that. No talent, I guess. Not to worry, though. There are people who offer free graphics that are really good.

One of my favorite sites for free graphics is vecteezy. Vecteezy is a collection of free vector graphics for everything from web sites to Halloween invitations to school projects. Naturally, you’ll want to read the license information for anything you’d like to use since some of the free graphics are for personal use only. Still, free is good.

Go ahead and take a look around Vecteezy. And tell me what you think of it.

Since I hinted at this previously, I’ll go ahead and just make the announcement. My oldest son, Chris, is getting married in 9 days. We learned recently that he’s going to be a daddy. Chris is 29 and has been with Leah for several years. This is all good news.

We’re still trying to tie up lose ends for the wedding while thinking about preparations for the new baby, too. I can’t wait to know whether we’re buying blue or pink. I can pick up some non-gender specific stuff but there isn’t much of that. Everything from Onesies to crib bedding is gender specific these days. Right now I’m making lists. Soon, we’ll be buying!

And you know I can’t wait.

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.

In just a few months I’ll be an official senior citizen, at least according to AARP. That’s right, I’ll be eligible for the most famous senior citizen’s association this November. How did that happen?

My husband has been eligible for the past two years but hasn’t joined yet. I think I’ll sign up both of us, though. After doing some research into life insurance quotes, I’ve decided that I should just join AARP and find out what they offer those of us who have crested that proverbial hill.

This could work out well for travel purposes, too. I wonder if my husband joins now, if I’m also covered. Or must I wait for that half century mark?

Being back at my childhood home these past days has been interesting. Every so often something – a smell, an item, a sound – will spark a memory and I’ll flash back to an earlier time.

Yesterday I sat on my mom’s bed, flipping through channels and I had a clear glimpse of my sister and me, sitting on the edge of the bed and playing a remarkable game of Pong.

Naturally, I wondered if that console might still be in the house somewhere. My mom seems to save everything. If it’s here, I wouldn’t know where to look first, though. Oh, but I’d love to find it. I want to show my kids the device that got me started with this crazy technology obsession. And I want them to get an idea of how far gaming has come since I was their age.

Who’d have thought we’d go from a white blip bouncing on the scree to Madden, Guitar Hero and whatever else my kids are doing in front of the TV today. Amazing. Simply amazing.

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.

I know I say it a lot but here goes again. I’d rather work on hardware than software. I have always like screwdrivers and hammers and pliers. I’ve always enjoyed putting things together. Or taking them apart.

I used to enjoy working on the software side of computers, too, but as Windows has morphed into a ginormous mess, I find myself wishing for a night with my favorite wine of the month so I can just forget about computers all together. That’s serious; I love computers. Usually.

This past week has been one software or OS crisis after another. I’m going to try to get over it and move on. Okay, I’ll blog about my solution but then I’m going to find something better to think about. Like a screwdriver.

It’s no secret that I’m getting old. Okay, I take that back. I am old. I don’t say that in a complaining way; old is really not a bad thing. I mean, would you rather be given a brand spanking new Barbie doll or an original Barbie from 1959? Right. Older is better.

The downside of older is that it takes more time to look “presentable” to the public. I can remember when a little blush and mascara was all I needed. Now I have to prime the skin with moisturizers, firming serums and brightening lotions before I can even begin to camouflage the age spots and fine lines.

What really gripes me is that no matter how meticulous I am about my preparations, once I’m outside in natural daylight, all my flaws just jump out at me. I have really good bathroom lighting over my vanity because I use Reveal bulbs from GE. Those are the best I’ve found so far. As good as they are, though, they still don’t compare to natural daylight.

I’m wondering, are there any better, reasonably priced alternatives to Reveal Bulbs? Or must I persuade my husband to add a window to my bathroom?

It’s been so long since I’ve been sick that I almost forgot how miserable a little summer time cold can make me. I remember now, though, and I don’t like it one bit.

I think this old cold started out as a hay fever thing. There are so many allergens in the air that I’ve been looking into Santa Fe dehumidifiers or other air cleaning devices. I really have to do something because I don’t want to be sick like this again.

In all fairness, though, our home air quality is much better than it was just 15 years ago. Back then, we heated our house with oil and that’s just a little less dirty than the coal furnace that was in this house several decades before that. The biggest problem was that the coal dust from that old furnace has settled into the walls. When we remodeled, we were shocked at how much coal dust was in this house.

Anyway. I’m feeling better and looking for ways to not let this happen again. It’s bad enough that the outside air wreaks havoc on my sinuses; I need the inside air to play nice with my health.