A temporary technology failure is when something you use breaks but you really, really need it working in order to get something done; the standard thing to do here is to use your backup method as a temporary workaround. However most people simply don’t have a backup, and that’s where you get figuratively stuck in a corner. If you don’t...

In less than a week it will be 2012. As usual, a whole bunch of people are going to mistakenly write ’11 or 2011 on their checks and other places for a few days before they get used to the new year, and that’s normal. Banks are used to this, by the way. Since year 2000, there’s been more than a little confusion about how to write the year and...

Next week, a bunch of you are going to be traveling to see friends and family for the holiday season (and probably do it again on New Year’s Eve and Day). Right now is a good time to do a few very simple things to make your travels easier. 1. Make sure your cell phone’s address book is up-to-date Is Aunt Marge’s phone number in your cell...

PCMech is based out of Tampa Bay, Florida, and I’m also a Florida resident, so when particular news for this area come across the wire I see it periodically. For non-US readers, US states are divvied up into counties (and then municipalities which are cities, towns, boroughs and sometimes villages). Hillsborough County is directly within the Tampa Bay...

For those of you living in nations that must observe Daylight Saving Time, here’s the stuff you probably forgot to change the clocks for so they can observe DST proper:The clock(s) in your car(s) Microwave clock Oven range clock Laptop or netbook (did you turn it on today so it can auto-adjust?) The wall clock(s) you have that aren’t atomic...

By now most if not all who read this have tried automotive GPS at some point, either by owning a GPS device yourself, maybe trying it in a rental car, using it through a cell phone app or what-have-you. "Basic GPS" when it comes to a car basically means that all the device does is route. It does not do Bluetooth, meaning it won’t pair to a...

We love our PCs, Macs, smartphones and other gadgets – but there are times when you have to take a break. Why? Because it will make you feel better. These breaks you can take don’t have to be for long periods of time, but a periodic no-electronics break of 10 to 15 minutes does the soul good. 1. Read Books and Newspapers Many say the printed page is...

A hoarder is someone who basically is surrounded by useless junk in their living space, doesn’t have the heart to throw anything out because they "might need it someday", and if anyone tells them to clean up their mess they just can’t bring themselves to do it. Compulsive hoarding is classified as an OCD; you might have also seen the TV...

Everybody likes LEGOs. If you don’t like LEGOs, then there’s something wrong with you. There’s just something about putting blocks together that’s just super-cool-awesome. LEGOs are so well-liked that the brand single-handedly revived LucasArts gaming with the LEGO Star Wars series. A free "utility" that’s available is the...

The price of fuel in the Tampa Bay area of Florida (where PCMech is based) is around $3.75 per gallon at the time I write this. Depending on where you are in the world, you’re either going to say that’s really cheap or really expensive. However this is not an article about the price of fuel but rather but rather lessening the psychological impact the...

Many a computer geek have strong affections for particular timepieces. Generally speaking we like our wristwatches to be rugged, take a lot of abuse and last a very long time. How many watch manufacturers exist? Probably a lot more than you thought, so it would be impossible to show them all here. I will however show off a few timepieces that have some geek...

And it will be for you, too! I particularly like the "CD Burning" part.If unable to see the video above, here’s the link:...

If you use your computer at home with any frequency (and let’s face it, if you’re reading this site, you do), the chair you park your buns on matters. It’s probably true you spend at least two hours in that chair each time you sit in it, however it amazes me how many people skimp on this rather important piece of furniture. Many people...

Technology ads for the most part these days just plain suck. But give the right person with genuine imagination the right images and you get something seriously awesome. The video below is not an official IBM business advertisement – but it should be. According to the video’s description: The music is the awesome theme tune to the Gerry Anderson...

People-search engines are search sites where you punch in a name and the engine goes out and digs up all the known information available about the person you’re searching for. A few of the more popular examples are Spokeo, Pipl and 123people. To the best of my knowledge, none of the information presented on a people-search engine is verified. What this...

For a number of years now, work has been proceeding in order to bring perfection to the crudely conceived idea of a transmission that would not only supply inverse reactive current for use in unilateral phase detractors, but, would also be capable of automatically synchronizing cardinal gram meters. Such an instrument is the Turbo Encabulator. Now basically, the...

I caught mention of this on the PCMech Forums so I had to check out Genpets. This is billed as the only "bioengineered buddy", available in 7 different personality types. The reason the Genpet looks so creepy in its packaging is because since it is a real-deal bioengineered.. um.. thing.. shipped in "hibernated" state. The explanation for...

There are certain products that suffer from permanent identity errors in the way people write or pronounce them. 1. Firefox’s Abbreviation The mistake: Writing the abbreviated Firefox as FF The right way: Writing as Fx or fx Who says this is so? The Firefox developers themselves (see point 8 on that link). Yes, I’ve been guilty of using FF on...

It’s a common story that if you’re the one in the family who knows computers, everyone wants you to fix everything they broke because of their own stupidity. It’s most likely true you’ve already been fixing their busted OSes and/or computers for some time now and want a way out. I’ll give you 7 ways to do it. 1. Delay any answer to...

If you’ve been charged with writing a document that is supposed to instruct someone else how to do something, today’s way of doing it more or less throws the old methods out the window. 1. Big Bombastic Headers You’ll notice the headers on PCMech, such as the one right above this sentence, are huge. This is because they’re easier to see,...