Learn how to properly clean your LCD screen without having to buy expensive LCD cleaning solutions.  The only ingredients you will need to make your own cleaning solution are 70% Isopropyl alcohol and distilled water. 

The recipe is easy: Mix the Isopropyl alcohol and distilled water in equal parts (50/50) inside an empty Windex-like bottle. Do not use tap water! Doing so will leave white smears on your screen after cleaning it up because of the dissolved minerals inside the water. When finished mixing, just close the bottle using the "spray" adaptor that comes attached to it.

Next, you will need to find a soft piece of cotton or microfiber cloth to clean your display. Avoid paper tissues at all cost! Using those on your screen would be just like scrubbing sandpaper on it and may scratch it permanently. You wouldn't want to do that right?

Now that we have everything we need, start by turning off your screen. Dampen your piece of soft cloth with your cleaning mixture and then wipe the display gently from top to bottom. Never spray liquid directly onto the LCD. When you're done, wait a few minutes to let your screen dry, and then turn it back on. Voila, you're done! Your screen should now be sparkling clean.

Now you can safely clean off the sneeze juice off of your computer screens.

[via delicious]

SupportSoft recently conducted a "Cyber Stress" study where they found that 65 percent of consumers spend more time with their computers than their spouse, and 8 out of 10 Americans are more dependent on their home computers now than they were 3 years ago.  Time spent with our computers aren't exactly long walks on the beach:

• The average consumer has experienced computer troubles eight times - about every four months - over the last three years.
• The average American is wasting 12 hours per month - the equivalent of half a weekend - due to problems with their home computer.
• A majority of Americans (52%) describe their most recent experience with a computer problem as one of anger, sadness or alienation.

Of course this study is a way to promote SupportSoft's support.com service in which consumers can call on a SupportSoft technician for computer woes advice.  Despite the obvious promotion, it got me thinking... 

How much time (repair, work, leisure, etc.) do you spend on your computer?  Participate in the poll.

[via delicious]

This pink Medion Swarovski notebook is adorned with over 300 pink and clear Swarovski crystals.  For $1,905 you get an Intel Centrino Duo 1.73GHz processor, 1024MB memory, 100GB hard drive, DVD-RW, two-speaker high definition audio system and jealous eyes from your girlfriends.

Your geek chick will be overwhelmed with giddiness.


Previously on BC: Girls, get geeky!

Here is a detailed article about the history of the Macintosh. 

The article includes 14 posters which commemorate Macintosh's 20th anniversary and reminds us of how cool Macs really are and will forever be.

...may the Mac live on...

[via MetaFilter]

I've finally found a suitable case (and cashflow) for my old mini-itx motherboard (EPIA-M 1000) I've had laying around. The specs aren't too bad - 1ghz C3 cpu, a gigabyte of RAM, 160 gigabyte hdd, and a 52x cd drive. I am still missing one crucial part for me to use this as a file server - a network card. Athough I do have built-in 10/100, I'd like to go wireless since I don't have my own router (it's in another part of the house) but, I have no clue as to what kind of card I can easily use in Linux (comments welcome ;D).

Right now, it acts as another space heater in my room and my ad-hoc cooling solution is having a hard time keeping up. Eventually, I'll have a few fans installed into my desk so I can actually close the door on the computer cabinet; until then I'll use my current 'clip a fan on the desk and point it so it blows air into the cabinet' setup.

My casetronic checkercube case.

My casetronic checkercube case.

Is your computer killing you?  I know every computer I've ever worked on should be accused of attempted murder. 

What has my computer done to me?

1. I experienced much strain in my wrists due to the repetitive motion of typing.  At times the strain was quite painful, but mostly annoying.  Since my career change a few years ago I no longer have this problem;
2. experienced strain in my eyes and eventually wore reading glasses which helped greatly.  Again, since my career change I no longer wear reading glasses (not like I ever did...  I could never get used to them);
3. caused me stress due to multiple hard drive crashes and loss of information;
   
4. developed a phone phobia and feel more comfortable communicating through email, IM or text messaging; and
   
5. caused me to develop bad posture.

So my computer has caused me some headaches, but honestly, I don't know how I could be without one.  I can deal with the aches and pains.

Now that I've had a week to recover, let's do a damage estimate...

A Sirius Letdown.

I found the Sirius' S50 (like much of this show) to be underwhelming. While this unit is quite sexy and small, I found out what its achillies heel is: you must have the unit docked to listen to live satellite radio. Yes, it can record shows from satellite and play mp3s, but no radio while undocked? Bummer.

Trust Slashdot to come up with an article that's completely relevant to what you've been thinking of for the past few days... At my school, I am an IT Leader, which means that I'm generally quite good with computers. Yesterday, I sat down with my fellow IT leaders and talked about a similar situation of that in the aforementioned article, and what needs to be done about it.

I can recall that as little as 9 years ago, within my entire school, there were no more than 10 computers for student use (K-6), and even then, there was very little work done on them. Maybe the occasional educational game, but not much more. Skip forward to 2005, and the same school in the same year groups have over 100 computers between them, all being used for varying degrees of work. Walls are covered with word-processed documents, and third-graders are performing PowerPoint Presentations. So why is it that a great majority of students from this school (and many others in the area) come out of Year 12 not knowing how to properly use a computer?