The Microriver 1GB iSecure Biometric USB Flash Drive is one option for grads. It sells for about $34 online.

Family, friends and loved ones of soon-to-be high school and college graduates want to give them gifts that will aid them in the next chapter of their lives.

For some that chapter will include furthering their education. For others it will entail entering the job market. Regardless of the road ahead for these graduates, there are many affordable tech gifts to make that road a little smoother.

Whether on campus or in the corporate jungle, USB flash drives seem to be commonplace. A particular flavor of USB flash drives that don’t seem to be everywhere are biometric or fingerprint scanning USB flash drives.

These drives have been around for a few years, but haven’t really caught on in mass numbers. But the fact remains that these are among the best USB drives to own. Biometric USB flash drives allow access to the drive only after a user has been authenticated by running a fingerprint over a biometric scanner embedded on the drive.

The benefits of biometric USB drives are numerous, but among the top reasons for considering them as a gift for graduates is their security features. The information stored on them is not only secure, but the fact that the information cannot be accessed acts as a theft deterrent and may even serve to increase the odds of the drive being returned if it where lost. Biometric USB drives are more expensive than regular USB drives of equal storage capacity, but there are plenty of lower capacity biometric drives priced below $50.

If your graduate is heading into the work force, you may want to consider paying for a professional subscription as a gift. Careerstrides.com is one of many Web sites that offer a professional résumé service to people new to the job market. Popular employment Web sites such as Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com offer upgraded résumé posting, a feature that is supposed to give placement preference so employers will view them before the non-upgraded résumés. This, too, could help recent grads looking to test the job market. In the current employment environment, every advantage helps.

For those who are leaving the high school campus for the larger and much greener college campus, the Digimemo may be ideal. The Digimemo is a digital tablet that allows users to write notes, draw or doodle and save it all to the device. Having a device that can save 999 individual pages of notes without the need for special paper that some other devices require will lighten the backpack of any college student. At a cost of $99, it won’t lighten the gift giver’s wallet too much, either.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds @yahoo.com.

It is often said that everyone has a twin somewhere in the world; what many people may not know is that the twin is likely to be located online.

Because this is not given the attention it deserves, it is often overlooked and misunderstood. Protecting and managing your digital self is often confused with taking steps to prevent identity theft.

Although taking measures to protect yourself against identity theft is important, protecting your digital self casts a broader net. This may be an oversimplification, but identity theft prevention, from an online perspective, focuses on securing passwords, account numbers and sensitive financial information. Managing your digital self should include these tasks, but it goes a step further and requires that you frequently stay abreast of the information publicly available about you.

I use the phrase “manage your digital self” because that’s all you can do – manage the information. The source of the online information about you may not necessarily be you. It can range from publicly available government records and documents to opinions written about you from friend and foe alike. Following are some tactics to successfully manage your digital self.

The Internet never closes, so neither does the opportunity for information to be uploaded about you. Something to keep in mind is that unless you catch some of it almost in the instant it appears online and have it removed, you can expect that information to long outlive you. The rate at which information is copied, backed up and stored in multiple locations online would amaze most people.

The next thing to keep in mind is that even if you don’t use the Internet frequently, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a significant amount of information about you online.

One of the first steps you want to take is to see what is out there about you. An easy way to do this is to do what’s called a vanity search. This means that you essentially Google yourself. I would suggest that you use slight variations of your name and quotation marks on both ends of your name. This will ensure that only the exact name between the quotations appears. You can also set up Google news alerts to e-mail you whenever something containing your name appears.

You also will want to hit the social networking circuit. This means MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Ning and other Web sites of that ilk. If you find information that is incorrect, you do have a recourse. Most times it involves contacting the owners of the Web site and asking them to remove it.

The problem is that by this time it is likely to have been populated in other places online. An easy solution is to use the same social networking Web sites and other Web resources to cast yourself in the light that you would like to be viewed.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds @yahoo.com.

Q My question to you is how do I get my Web site optimized so that the various search engines can not only find it but rank it on the first page of their listings?

I have tried reading about optimization but just don’t understand the language. I would like to hire someone to do it for me. The Tucson-based companies listed in the Yellow Pages deal only with large corporations who have thousands of dollars to spend.

Is there anything you could suggest to help me. I purchased “Website Optimization For Dummies” but gave up after the second chapter, so that was no help.

C. Matthiasson

A: SEO or search engine optimization is major concern of most businesses. There have been studies that show that the majority of search engine users don’t look beyond the first couple of search results pages. In some cases, users only consider the first few items listed. This makes the first few items prime real estate.

When entering the world of search engine optimization, it helps to understand how the process works. This can be of benefit if you are going to optimize your own Web site or hire it out. Otherwise, it may be difficult to know if you are receiving what you are paying for.

Since Google dominates the search engine genre, I will provide a general explanation of how its search results listing works.

Google uses a program called a spider that goes out over the Internet, makes copies of the Web pages it finds and returns those copies to Google’s database to be indexed. These indexed pages are then evaluated by a secret and constantly changing set of criteria. It is this evaluation that determines how relevant a Web page is to any given performed search. The degree of relevance is supposed to determine the ranking of a Web site on Google’s search results page.

Before hiring a company to optimize your Web site, there are a few things you can do yourself. If your business is about doulas, then have one of your Web pages named doulas.html. Also, the description of each page of your Web site should be clear and concise. Historically, the more Web sites that link to your site may increase your ranking. For this reason, you may want to consider joining groups that swap links.

Now if you have made the modifications previously listed and you still want a higher ranking – and who wouldn’t want a higher ranking? – you can hire an SEO company. They can be prohibitively expensive, but the most expensive ones have well established track records.

That is what you are looking for when vetting an SEO company. Ask to speak with some of their customers and find out their level of satisfaction and results. Don’t limit yourself to local companies. SEO can be done from anywhere.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds @yahoo.com.

Q I have Adobe Professional 6.0 installed on my computer to create .pdf files. Recently I have attempted to open .pdf files that were evidently created on a newer version of Acrobat and got an error message that I needed Acrobat Reader 8.0 or 9.0 to open the files.

I downloaded and installed Reader 9.0, but when I attempt to open one of these .pdf files, Adobe 6.0 opens and then gives me the previous error message. This even happens if I first open Reader 9.0 and then click on the .pdf file. What do you think is causing this and how do I correct it?

G. Fotre

A: Your problem is not uncommon. There can be a number of reasons for the issues that you are experiencing.

Some of the most frequently seen are that a necessary file was deleted or that it is a Web browser issue. Since you can’t read files after opening the Adobe reader from your desktop shortcut, this lowers the likelihood of your Web browser being the source of your problem.

I am of course assuming that you saved the pdf file to your computer and then you tried to open it up and were unsuccessful. If I am wrong in my assumptions, then try saving a pdf to your computer and then opening it up.

If my assumptions were correct, then that would explain why you were advised to upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader. We can follow the missing or corrupted file premise. If you recently performed some system cleanup and deleted old files, you may have gotten rid of more than you expected. You may want to consider a system restore. If that doesn’t correct the problem then you may want to look at some other options.

If your computer still sees Adobe Reader 6.0 as your default pdf reader, then I would suggest uninstalling all versions of Adobe Reader. This can be done via the control panel. It may also require you to uninstall your version of Adobe Professional.

Once you have uninstalled all of the Adobe reader and creation software on your computer, you can reinstall the Adobe Professional and opt out of the option to install the reader program. If you don’t have this option, you may have to uninstall the Professional software and install the latest version of the Adobe Reader first and then reinstall Adobe Professional. This should set the latest version of Adobe Reader as your default pdf reader.

Other options include using another software program to read your pdf files. For this, you may want to consider a free pdf reader named Foxit. You can download it from download.com or foxitsoftware.com. An alternate option is to read pdfs through a Web browser. There are a few free online pdf viewers. Two of the most popular are pdfmenot.com and pdfescape.com.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds @yahoo.com.

When many people think of search engines, they automatically envision Google.

This makes sense given Google’s magnitude; it’s by far the leader among search engines. But being the leader doesn’t always mean that it is the best for every search. The answer to queries could unlock more from the Internet than what is represented in a Google-only search.

Why should you consider another search engine? Google has a large number of Web sites indexed and cataloged, but it doesn’t have the entire Internet indexed and cataloged. Using other search engines may yield useful Web sites that aren’t available on Google. Diversity is the spice of life.

What should people consider when looking for a different search engine? They should try to find an engine that fits their searching style and needs. It can be easy for people to simply assume that Google is the only game in town and they must adapt to it rather than the search engine adapting to them.

One search engine that has been around for a while is alltheweb.com. It may provide Web sites that aren’t on Google.

Another engine that has been in Google’s shadow for years is Dogpile.com. Dogpile is a metasearch engine, and metasearch engines allow you to search several engines at once. This in turn allows you to cast a wider net.

Leapfish.com is a search engine that provides results from MSN, Google and Yahoo. What really makes Leapfish stand out is that when it refreshes, new results can be added to your list.

One of my favorite Google alternatives is Cuil.com. The search tips that are offered after your results are returned make it easy to refine the topic you are looking for.

What are the options for those who just don’t want to let go of Google? The obvious one is to continue to use Google. For those who want to slowly wean themselves from a Google-only diet, they can use Leapfish.com, which searches Google.

Or they can go to Google lite. Ecosmartsearch.com is another search engine that was created by the people at Google. It is designed to be a greener Web site that allows monitors to be more energy efficient.

Although this article may come across as being anti-Google by some, it isn’t intended as such. If you have read some of my previous articles, then you should know that I consistently urge people to try the various incarnations of Google and its many applications.

To truly get the most out of the vast resources of the Internet, you can’t limit yourself to the popular Web sites. Occasionally, stepping off the beaten path could be just what is needed.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds @yahoo.com.

Q I mentioned I’m not quite an expert so I do have one question to ask of you. I’ve been running Firefox as my browser for the longest time. With the latest Firefox update that I downloaded I’ve noticed that my browser now gets an “f” where the Flash Player stuff should be.

I have to click the little “f’s” or arrows in order to view a YouTube video, for example. That wasn’t the case before the new update was installed. I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling the Flash Player but with no luck. Guess I’m still not as close to being an expert as I thought. Any help you could provide would be appreciated.

F. Ramos

A: This is a known problem. I would ask if you have the latest update for Adobe Flash? The latest version is supposed to fix this problem. The problem is unique to the Firefox plug-in for Flash. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, then you may want to consider using another browser to watch videos. Internet Explorer or Google Chrome should meet your needs.

Q: Mr. Hobbs, I have a problem. I was having a problem with my ISP one night. I called them and explained that I could not get into some sites once I clicked my mouse. One of the support personnel said that I had a virus and suggested that I buy a program to remove it. I answered that I had Norton 360 and that I would call them and run it.

I decided to run it first. I did this and that and somehow came up with a site where Norton said I had an unknown cookie and that it would be simple to remove. The only thing about this is that they or I could not find out how to remove the program. I have 10 cookies on this list, but this one’s name is only, “unknown.” This list also said that this has been tracking me since last July 2008.

How do I find out who is tracking me with this cookie deal and how do I get rid of this program as the Norton program suggested?

A. Ortiz

A: Mr. Ortiz, there are two types of cookies. The ones that are used while you are visiting a Web site are called session cookies. These stop tracking when you leave the site. The one that you are concerned about is called a permanent cookie. The name is slightly misleading.

Although they track you after you leave a Web site, they aren’t permanent. They have dates of expiration. To delete your cookies, open your Web browser. I will use Internet Explorer for this example.

Look in the Tools header. You should a section on the General tab named Browsing History. It is here that you can delete cookies. If this doesn’t remove them, then consider using Malwarebytes or SUPER AntiSpyware to remove them. The free edition should get the job done.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds @yahoo.com.

Q I was having some problems with my computer and did a disk clean-up on it and deleted many files I did not use or need. Somewhere in all of this, I lost the audio (through my speakers) so now I can’t hear anything on the Internet, games, nothing.

I have tried to reinstall the sound with the help of friends. I’m in no way a computer whiz and I need plain English to have things explained to me. I’m hoping you may be able to figure out what I may have done and can get it fixed without it costing a fortune.

S. Valdez

A: I will start with possible causes. When it comes to no audio from your computer, the root can normally be found in a handful of places.

One of the most common is missing device drivers. This seems to be what you and your friends initially suspected. I take it that when you said you reinstalled the sound, you were referring to the drivers for your sound card or other audio devices.

The drivers could have been compressed and archived or deleted when you performed your disk cleanup. The problem is that if it were a case of a missing driver, you should receive a pop up message that says that a driver or file is missing.

This leads me to the second possible culprit, a bad speaker. This is easy enough to check. Plug a pair of headphones into your computer and see if you can hear anything. If you can, then it was the speakers.

Also, I am assuming you checked the audio settings and ensured that they were not set to low or muted entirely. It would also be worth verifying that the correct audio device is selected as the default and enabled. You should be able to find the audio settings in the control panel, which can be accessed via the start button.

All of this may sound condescending, but this is not my intent. You would be surprised how many hours of troubleshooting audio problems have been solved by simply plugging the power cord into the speaker or computer. So check all of the speaker connections. Since you can’t hear anything from games or online sources then this generally rules out it being a case of media player problems.

When all else fails you have three surefire low cost options. The first is to perform a reinstallation of the audio files from your system recovery CD that should have come along with your system. The second option is to install a new sound card, and a basic card should cost you less than $20. The installation is as simple as unscrewing 4-6 screws and placing a card in a slot. A true five minute job. This is a sure solution to your woes.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

Q I plan to retire my desktop and buy a new laptop in which to plug my flat panel monitor, MS Natural keyboard, printer, etc., then unplug them and just take the laptop along when leaving town. When do you think that I can expect to see laptops on the market preloaded with Windows 7 and USB 3.0?

Glen R.F.

A: What you have planned sounds very interesting. I don’t think you need Windows 7 or USB 3.0 to accomplish what you have planned.

It probably won’t be until fall 2010 before you can expect to see USB 3.0 connections as the standard on computers. Once this does happen, the increased speed at which data can be accessed from a thumb drive will be noticeable. They should have a data transfer rate of about 5 gigabits per second. This is a lot of information being moved in a short amount of time.

This high transfer rate is due in part to the preparation for the inundation of lower-cost high-capacity thumb drives. With 128 GB thumb drives being prepped for the consumer market, a faster USB Drive format is only logical.

One other benefit of USB 3.0 is that it will be backwards compatible with previous versions. There will also be a “standard-B” version of the 3.0 connections. The standard-B connection is the type of connection that your printer, fax or external hard drive may use. It normally has a beveled end that connects to the device and a rectangle USB connection on the other end.

As far as USB 3.0′s interaction with Windows 7, it shouldn’t be an issue. Microsoft is reportedly in the process of creating the necessary drivers in Windows 7 for the new USB 3.0 ports. This provides a good transition into the Windows 7 part of your question.

Based on the fact that the beta version of Windows 7 expires in August, I would expect the full version of Windows 7 anytime from the late summer through the fall. As I said in last week’s article, I would be surprised if it isn’t out by the end of the year. This means that to have the Windows 7/USB 3.0 combo you are looking for, you will probably have to wait until the fall of 2010.

The only wildcard that I can foresee is if phase change drives become practical or popular, then they may usurp flash drives.

• • •

On another note, this likely will be my last article for the Citizen. It has been a good run, and I have enjoyed the reader response. I hope I have been of some assistance and provided information you found interesting. Whether I write for another paper or online, you can continue to e-mail me your questions and I will try to provide you with a solution. Thank you for your support over the years.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

Microsoft is gearing up to release it’s next operating system.

It will most likely roll out later this year, but a debate is developing about the fate of the two current Microsoft operating systems and the heir to the throne.

Which operating system that is left standing may not seem that important to you now, but it will if the one on your computer is on the losing end of the fight. Microsoft may consider stopping support for it. If that happens, it could become ripe for all manners of malicious activity. Each operating system makes a good case for its survival and marginalization.

Windows XP is the reigning king, top dog and el mero mero when it comes to Windows-based operating system. For the most part, the bugs have been worked out and end users have become quite acquainted with the operating system. This is really the determining factor in operating system adaptation. Whatever is closest to what end users are familiar with has a tendency to fare well.

The problem for Windows Vista was twofold. First, it differed so much from Windows XP that end users felt lost and refused to adopt the new operating system. The second factor is that Windows Vista probably wasn’t fully ready when it was released. It was plagued by bugs and compatibility issues that helped create its reputation of being a subpar operating system.

Fast forward 18 months and Vista has matured into a solid operating system. Once you get used to navigating within Vista, which takes a few sessions, you can unlock much of its potential. The problem for Vista is that all of these improvements may be too little, too late.

The next generation Windows operating system, Windows 7, is stealing some of Vista’s thunder and it hasn’t even been released yet. The buzz around it is positive. This doesn’t bode well for the other two operating systems.

In the final analysis, I think that history will repeat itself.

When all is said and done, like Windows 98 and Millennium Edition before them, XP and Vista will fade to black within three years. So prepare to either embrace Windows 7 or some other platform of operating system.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

When do you have something without having anything? This is the riddled response that is often offered to explain the practice of cloud computing.

The name suggests some ethereal technological junket, but it is a practice that many businesses and individuals are finding practical.

Cloud computing is when you store information or use applications over a network. Some large companies that are spread around the nation and across the globe use a form of internal cloud computing. One of the most common types of cloud computing is to have a technology infrastructure that is maintained online by an outside vendor.

This entails using the Internet to access your applications and manage a product or service that is sold commercially. It is not a good fit for some companies, but others find that it is a way to lower operating costs and increase revenue.

Some of the pros of cloud computing for businesses are that they can offer services without having to invest heavily into equipment. Also, since cloud computing relies on offsite vendors to maintain the hardware, a business is spared the expenses of electricity, manpower and other costs associated with maintaining equipment in-house.

Another advantage of cloud computing is its innate portability. From a business perspective, this is a huge asset. If your business finds itself in a situation such as those in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina or in New York after September 11th, 2001, there is the peace of mind that your business should not be severely set back.

The primary downside to cloud computing is that you are at the mercy of the vendor. If that vendor goes out of business or has an interruption in service, it will have a direct and immediate impact on your business and customers.

You could find yourself in a similar situation if you maintained your own equipment, but having to rely on another company may be a little unnerving.

Cloud computing for individuals is slightly different than for businesses. Individuals can normally find enough freebies to make cloud computing worth their while. Free is usually good, but add portability to it and it becomes very good. Being able to access your e-mails, documents, pictures, video and music from any computer with an Internet connection is a benefit to students and professionals alike.

At a minimum, individual cloud computing would not be complete without a plan to back up all of your information online and offline.

Whether cloud computing is right for you largely depends on your situation, whether as an individual or a business.

Potential users should understand the inherent risks and benefits associated with relying on an online entity to maintain their information.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

The iPhone has established itself as the device that all other mobile devices are compared against.

This is due in part to its versatility and its unique design. One thing that works against its popularity is the exclusive cellular service offered by AT&T. Another factor that doesn’t work in the iPhone’s favor – beyond the requirement of committing to a multiyear service contract with AT&T – is the expensive purchase price.

For those who want a near-iPhone device without the associated costs, there are options. You could purchase a touch screen handset such as the Behold from Samsung, the G1, or the Blackberry Storm. All of these would rival the iPhone in certain aspects, but there is still a unique way to have a near iPhone experience:

Use an iPod Touch to make phone calls. The process is easier than it might sound and well worth it.

The first thing you need is an SIP or VoIP dialer program installed on your iPod. Both SIP and VoIP applications allow users to use the Internet to place phone calls.

I have two applications that I use. One is called Fring and can be found for free on iTunes. The other is called Truphone. Once you have these or a similar application installed, you need to open an account with a SIP or VoIP service provider. Some people prefer using Skype, but I opened an account at VoIPbuster.com. Once you have reached this point, you can go into the settings of Fring and set your VoIP Buster account as your SIP/VoIP service.

You are just about ready to start making calls. This is the point where you are going to need a little hardware. Although the iPod Touch strongly resembles the iPhone, it was not intended to make phone calls, as evidenced by the lack of a microphone that is essential for holding a conversation. For about $60 you can purchase a Touchmod mic that will allow you to hear and speak using your iPod Touch.

Now you’re ready to place calls. Find the nearest open Wi-Fi network and start yapping.

Somewhere during the first call you will probably think how cool it is to make calls from your iPod, but a few minutes later something will dawn on you. You’ll realize that you can call out, but don’t have a number for people to call you. There is a remedy to this problem.

You can go to ipkall.com and set up an account that will assign an inbound call number to your iPod. The number is free, but the catch is that you are limited to phone numbers from Washington state. But after you have an assigned number from ipkall, go to grandcentral.com and redirect that number to another number a little closer to you.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

QI have a Dell laptop XP. It’s 6 years old and needs a good repair shop or computer person to look at it and get it in better working condition. Do you recommend any company or person in Tucson? I don’t know where to go.

M. Shiffman

A: This is a question that many computer users find themselves asking. Having the manufacturer maintain the system has its benefits, but it is not always the best option.

I find it is best to look for the same general qualities in a computer repair shop as you would in a mechanic, plumber or doctor. First and foremost would be honesty. This is a hard quality to find in most professions and computer repair is no exception. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Research potential computer repair shops. A word to the wise: Do the research before you actually need one. When you are in dire straits, you may use a repair shop without performing the necessary due diligence. Compare and contrast them on more than just their fees. You should ask about warranty policies and refund policies.

Ask for customers you can use as a reference and find out what they liked most and least about the shops’ customer service. Having an idea of the turnaround time for the completion of repairs is also important.

If a computer shop goes out of its way to use technical jargon to explain repairs to you, then it may not be what you are looking for. This is a tactic some shops use to justify their fees for relatively simple repairs.

Another thing you should do is verify the competency level of the computer repair shop and its technicians. You can save a few bucks hiring the local guy who is good with computers, but hiring someone with the proper technical qualifications is normally worth the difference in price.

You should also inquire if the computer shop has any ties to vendors. Are they sponsored by a particular company or do they use a specific brand when repairing systems? Knowing this determines the quality of your repair to a degree. If a shop is loyal to a brand, your repair or upgrade may be limited by the product line of a particular vendor.

Next, you should compare prices. The cost of the repairs shouldn’t be the only deciding factor, but it should be a factor. You should be clear on what is included in the price and what services are in addition to the base costs.

There are a lot of good repair shops and technicians around town and there are some bad ones, too. Hopefully, this information will help you locate the repair shop or technician that is best for your situation.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

Q Free nationwide broadband is something that interests me very much, but I haven’t seen a lot of coverage from any media. I live in a town of 6,000 people and the part of town where I live gets no high-speed Internet coverage. If this was implemented, would I be able to use it? I would also like if you could send me some links that cover this story.

Ameza

A: You’re right. I don’t think that this topic has gotten the amount of attention it deserves.

As I understand it, the FCC’s plan calls for the winner of the auction of unused airwaves to dedicate a significant percentage of those airwaves to establishing a free nationwide broadband network.

This topic wasn’t limited to the FCC, which was ready to vote on the proposal in December; it was also discussed in the halls of Congress. A vote by the FCC was delayed last year, but I would be surprised if they have not reached a decision by vote by the summer.

As far as the reach of this nationwide broadband network; it is expected to reach about 95 percent of the country. This means the odds are in your favor that your town would be included. Rural areas were specifically envisioned as being among those that would benefit from this network the most. As far as links to track this proposal’s progress, you should be able to find information at fcc.gov the FCC’s Web site.

Q: I just wanted to know where I could get a basic teaching disc to learn how to use my laptop computer. I would like to learn the basics of how to burn CDs, rip them and what format I should use, plus other uses for my laptop.

Pete

A: Pete, your laptop can do so much more. If you only want to learn the rudimentary workings of your laptop then you have three easy options.

For what you want to learn, you can likely find someone on Craigslist that could talk you through the process of ripping and burning CDs. Option two is to go to the maker or manufacturer of your laptop and read the online documentation that they have for your computer. It should answer most of your questions. You can also find a users group for people who own computers like yours. I know that it may sound strange, but there is likely a group that can teach you the specific ins and outs of your laptop.

I would encourage you to take it a step further and unlock all that your computer can do. You may be surprised. One thing that Tucson has is no shortage of places to learn about maximizing computers. From Brown Mackie College to New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, there are plenty of options off of the beaten path to learn about the potential of computers.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

Audio Bone AB10-BK Headphones

Q I am afraid that I will have to disagree with you that few devices have been made that use the bone conduction method of transmitting sound to the hearer.

For many years, hearing aids have been in use that use this method of transmitting sound. Many people have hearing defects that do not allow normal sound transmission through the ear canal but they can hear through bone transmission.

In many deaf people, this transmission only allowed them to detect the presence of sound. That sound was clarified by reading lips. But it was an improvement over no sound at all.

The devices that are being marketed are simply modifications of technology that has been around for about 50 years.

Herb H.

A: You are correct that the technology has been around for years.

Devices such as bone-anchored hearing aids have served to improve the life of those with hearing loss. However, I was referring to the use of bone conduction technology in a commercial or entertainment capacity. Thank you, Herb. I know that I can always count you guys/gals to keep me honest.

Q: When I receive e-mails from a certain friend, below his message there is always “A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!” The link takes you to a full-page ad asking you to become a member, pay some money and get a credit report. The related address is “freecreditreport.com.” The unwanted message appears whether he originates an e-mail or forwards an e-mail. Any suggestions on how to get rid of it?

J. Payson

A: It doesn’t sound as though the problem is with your system or e-mail account. If you only have this issue from this certain friend, then your friend is the one with the problem. There are three very easy remedies.

The first is to block all e-mail from this friend, but it sounds like you don’t have a problem with the content of his e-mail, only the unsolicited post scripts. It sounds like there may be some type of adware at play here, so it might not be a bad idea to suggest to him to perform an online virus/adware scan.

The last option would be to have your friend open another e-mail account with Google, Yahoo, MSN or any other online e-mail service. It may not be a bad idea to suggest that if he does open up a new e-mail account, to do it from a different computer than the one he generally e-mails you from.

Last but not least, I would discourage opening any more similar links.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

A Cruzer 8 gig drive offers lots of storage on a very small space.

People often only see SB drives or thumb drives as a means to lug around their files, but they are capable of so much more.

This is where you may ask, “What is different now than in the past?”

The answer is a combination of more features in newer operating systems and the availability of larger capacity USB drives. Until recently, 8-16 GB or maybe even 32GB were the largest thumb drives on the market. You can find 64GB for sale online and 128 GB drives are planned for release later this year. Larger drive sizes increase the potential uses.

Early adapters of larger capacity USB drives should expect to pay for it. You should also expect to see the price decrease over time.

I have touched on some potential thumb drive uses in previous articles, but other uses have emerged because of the availability of higher capacity drives. One of my favorite uses for USB drives is to store portable applications – scaled down versions of some of the programs on your computer.

Some other possible uses are to make a pocket-size full backup of your computer. You can make a clone or mirror backup, based on using an 128GB thumb drive and backup software such as Norton’s or Acronis that allows image backups. This is also based on the premise that most home computers don’t come close to using 128 GB of disk space.

USB drives can also be used to improve your computing experience. By connecting a thumb drive to your computer and going into your computer’s control panel and adjusting the virtual memory, you can add the total available amount of space on the thumb drive as virtual memory in addition to what the setting is currently.

The virtual memory can affect everything from how many Web pages can be open at one time to the amount of clip art in your paper or project. Two things to remember when using a USB as virtual memory are that it needs to be dedicated to that purpose and in this situation you don’t necessarily need a high capacity USB drive Any size will do.

I’m sure there are more uses than I can think of or list here, but one final use that comes to mind pertains specifically to Windows Vista.

With a little tinkering and downloading of a drive encryption program called Bitlocker , you can use a USB drive like a key. You can lock and unlock your computer so that it only works with a USB drive.

This is for those that really don’t play well with others or don’t want to allow anyone to have access to their computers. The potential downside comes if you lose or damage the drive that you set as a key.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.