Computers still cost money, and you want them to last, so here are some tips to keep your computer clean, not only to preserve the mechanisms, but to improve your health.

Monitor

Monitors, whether flat or CRT, are best cleaned with a damp cloth. Whatever you do, don't spray Windex on the monitor screen. Also, make sure to watch the vents on the top and/or back of the monitor for dust buildup, and use a damp cloth or Q-tip to clean out the vents.  read more »

In episode 40, I talked about how to get your camera back if lost, but what about a cell phone or PDA (or even your laptop)? Here's a quick tip to improve your chances of getting it back:  read more »

I'm typing this post from under our basement steps, since we're under a tornado warning for the next 45 minutes. Because we have weather.com's Notify service alerting our mobile phones about the warning, we knew the moment they issued the warning and could take immediate action. (Our local siren doesn't run for tornadoes.) Now think about that for a minute: sitting on a concrete floor (we grabbed blankets on the way down to sit on) with 3 kids for nearly an hour. While that prospect might seem a bit nerve wracking for some, the time is moving quickly for us.  read more »

Ars Technica has reported that a Pac-Man movie is now in the works. The plot they give is bogus (and warning: some of the comments are not kid-friendly), and I'm not too optimistic about the subject being good movie material (still having nightmares from Super Mario Bros). So here's my question: what video game would make a good movie? Post your ideas below.

One of my favorite features of the Safari web browser has always been the ability to type a word into my address bar and be taken to the appropriate .com. So typing "techtalkforfamilies" would take me to techtalkforfamilies.com without having to type the .com each time. If there was no .com, it would take me to .net or .org instead. When sitting down at a PC that only had Internet Explorer installed, I hated always being taken to a Live.com search page when typing a word into the address bar.  read more »

First off, let me make this very clear: I'm not happy that Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are getting a divorce. I wish they'd been able to work things out and have a long and happy marriage. But since that's not the case, a judge's decision Monday to allow a preliminary divorce decree is good news for music fans, specifically iTunes music fans.  read more »

I'm about done with TV. When I was a kid, we had 3 networks plus PBS for Sesame Street. Now, our satellite service offers hundreds of channels, but it's not enough. Or, to look at it another way, it's too much. When you have 100 channels but only a half-dozen shows worth watching, I feel like I'm getting ripped off, especially when I'm paying a monthly fee to watch those shows, most of which I could get over the air.  read more »

Hi, everyone. I hope you're having a better April than we are. As you know, we've had a lot of problems moving to our new, higher capacity server, which will help with our increasing traffic. We were just starting to get caught up when it rained. And rained. And rained. Yesterday morning, we had a river flowing through our basement, which I don't recommend for carpeting.  read more »

Dungeon Explorer is a deeply immersive and complex game, yet easy to pick up. Here's a collection of hints to help you through the game:  read more »

We're being link farmed, and I have mixed feelings about it. I was googling a bit and found 3 different websites that feature our podcast and recent episode show notes prominently on their front page. But the rest of the site is clearly a "link farm," a collection of ads to generate click-through money like the Google ads we often use when between sponsors.  read more »