Social media fueled magazine for Washington D.C. Suburbs

When I’m greeted by a fine layer of yellow pollen dust coating my car, I know that spring has sprung.  The brighter days and open windows lead many of us to notice the layer of dust that has also settled indoors, followed by a mental note to pull out the Swiffer.  It’s easy to neglect some of the things that need our spring clean attention more than anything else – our hard-used gadgets.  While at our fingertips 24/7, these workhorses get grungy.

You probably touch your keyboard and mouse every day, in sickness and in health.  Most of us are guilty of coughing or sneezing either directly on our keyboard, or at the very least into our hands and then going right back to work.  And who doesn’t eat at their desk?  The germs, dirt and food debris that gather on keyboards and mice is downright disgusting, yet it’s rare that we take the time to clean and disinfect them.

First, shut down your PC or laptop.  If it’s connected with a cable, unplug your keyboard or mouse.  If applicable, shake out the larger crumbs (don’t shake your laptop, please).  Then use a can of compressed air to blow out as much of the larger dirt particles as possible.  An anti-bacterial wipe is great for regular wipe downs, and frankly, anything to get it cleaned more often is a good thing.  Q-tips and rubbing alcohol are even better for cleaning around the keys and buttons.

It’s pretty easy to pop the keys off most standard desktop-style keyboards, allowing you to get under them and thoroughly clean the keys themselves.  A solution of 50/50 water and white vinegar is great for soaking off the hard to dislodge gunk.  If you have a standard, non-battery operated keyboard you can even run it through the top rack of your dishwasher, just make sure it’s completely dry before plugging it back in.

Let’s take a moment to consider your cell phone.  This little guy goes everywhere with you, from your pocket or purse to the bathroom.  Here’s where I gross you out to get you to commit to cleaning it: scientists from Queen Mary, University of London, released a study in October 2011 that reported “one in six mobile phones in Britain is contaminated with fecal matter.”  Yuck.  Even if you’ve never headed to the little girl’s room with your smartphone, surely you’ve talked on it when you’re sick or handled it after coughing or sneezing.

Similar to your phone, your remote control is just plain nasty.  A study by University of Arizona Microbiology Professor Chuck Gerba found that remote controls in hospital rooms had “three times greater levels of bacteria than any other site in the hospital room.”  I’m sure I’m not the only one that has enjoyed a bowl of popcorn and neglected to wash my hands before channel surfing.  Not to mention, the time it’s spent buried between my couch cushions did nothing to improve the shape of the crevices between the buttons.

What your cell phone and remote have in common is small buttons that harbor dirt and debris, and regular handling with grubby fingers.  Rubbing alcohol is your new best friend.  Unlike water, it evaporates, so it’s less likely to damage the inner workings.  Still, use it sparingly.  Never immerse your device in any liquid.  Resist the urge to spray it down with Lysol.  Instead, give your gadgets a wipe down with a cotton ball dipped, but not dripping, in rubbing alcohol.  Once the surface is clean, dip a soft toothbrush in rubbing alcohol and blot it to remove excess liquid before brushing to dislodge debris in the areas around the buttons.  Don’t neglect the ports that chargers and cables plug into.  Finally, wipe the crud away with a clean q-tip.

Don’t get too aggressive – you don’t want to scrub off the numbers or letters.  In a pinch, a disinfecting wipe is better than nothing and it’s a good idea to give your handheld devices a quick once-over every couple days, more often if someone who handles it has a cold.  Don’t get the area surrounding your cell’s battery wet with any liquid as it may void your manufacturer’s warranty.

For more great ideas about how to get your gadgets germ-free and squeaky clean, email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

 

 

I’m a big fan of how technology makes life easier.  Unfortunately, it also makes it easier for scam artists to target potential victims.  For many, the relative newness of using email and web access for banking, shopping and paying bills leaves them vulnerable to crooks looking to steal personal information for financial gain.  Trust your instincts and arm yourself with knowledge to protect yourself from these common scams.

I'm a Facebook addict.  I had to “LOL” when I read a statistic that the average user spends about seven hours every month on Facebook.  When several friends started posting about Pinterest, exclaiming, "Wow, this is more addictive than Facebook," I thought, "uh-oh."  The last thing I need is another compulsion.  Still, my curiosity got the best of me.  Here's the scoop.

Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/) is a social, image-sharing website that functions like a shareable scrapbook.  You “pin” images to your virtual board from the Internet, other user's boards or your own computer.  Create theme-based image collections for all of your interests, from redecorating your home to your favorite recipes.  Planning a wedding?  Create a board filled with pictures of your favorite wedding dresses, flowers and cakes. Mom and your maid of honor can comment upon your choices and pin their own suggestions.  You can browse other people's boards, follow their topics to see when new pins are added, or follow the whole person if their tastes are similar to yours.  Share anything another user has posted by either "liking" it (similar to Facebook) or by "re-pinning" to your own board. The number of images you can pin to a board is unlimited.

I have a lengthy list of things that I should do, but never get around to.  Clean out the garage, weed out my bookshelves; it’s a pretty long list.  I’ve discovered that as worthy the cause may be, what typically pushes me to action is a little monetary persuasion.  Old gym equipment can be sold on Craigslist?  I’m on it.  In light of Earth Day and the fact that I really need to get on with reducing, reusing, and recycling, I found some ways to make some greenbacks by going green.

Every internet surfer has searched for something.  We’ve all been frustrated by typing something into the search bar, only to be bombarded with a bunch of junk information.  Pages of search results, filled with web links from questionable sources or that don’t offer the specific info you want.  How do you narrow down a search without wading through a thousand hits?

According to ebizmba.com, Google is unquestionably the most popular search engine with an estimated 900 million unique visitors every month.   Its nearest competitor, bing, gets an estimated 165 million unique visitors every month.    Since you’ve likely “googled” something, and it’d be impossible to give tips for every search engine out there, here are tips to refine Google searches.

Picking a printer can be a daunting task, and staring at the multitudes of choices at Office Max or Amazon can be downright intimidating.  How do you know which one is right for you?  It all depends on what you need your printer to do for you.  Some are designed to print beautiful color photos and presentations, while others are meant to be the high-volume workhorse in your office, networking multiple users seamlessly. Here are a few recommendations, hopefully fitting into the category to meet your needs.

 

As ironic as it may seem coming from the girl that a few short months ago wrote an article about how to get by without a printer, the reality is that life is still easier if you have one around.  In this two-part series we’ll review all you need to know when picking a printer.

Printer specifications are their own special language.  Ink jet, laser, DPI, ppm… seriously, where’s the human to printer dictionary?  The truth is that certain functions and abilities are going to matter more to different users, and everyone wants to balance price with quality and ease of use.  Let’s break down a few printer fundamentals.

Every time I find an easier way to do something it’s a small victory.  When it’s something I do all the time, like finding a shortcut to the office or a quicker way to make dinner, it’s even sweeter.  There are some easy shortcuts to accomplish common tasks in windows.  Shaving a couple mouse or key strokes may not seem like a big deal, but you’d be surprised how big of an impact they can make on your day to day.

You think the things that you do online are between you and your computer.  Not so.  From your internet provider, to your cell phone carrier, to lawmakers, your cyber-privacy is constantly being chipped away.  Before you post to a social media site or browse the internet for that report you’re compiling on pedophiles, here are some things to keep in mind about how your actions on the internet are anything but private.

SOPA, the “Stop Online Piracy Act,” recently received a lot of media attention.  Like most legislative bills, the surface intent seemed sound: give holders of copyrighted material in the United States some teeth to stop the illegal distribution of their property, even when the server housing the copyrighted music, videos, etc. is offshore. Unfortunately, the bill required such sweeping enforcement that Google public policy director Bob Boorstin stated, “YouTube would just go dark immediately.” If you unwittingly posted a video of your niece singing along to the latest Taylor Swift tune you could be blocked from Facebook and by your internet provider and burden of proving your innocence would be on you.

I'll admit it: I've never been much of a romantic.  I love spending time with my hubby, going out to dinner and a movie, or just curling up on the couch to watch a movie together, but I've never been very creative in thinking up ideas to "spice things up."  This Valentine's Day, I resolved to use my tech resources to think outside the box.  Here are some places you can go for ideas to put a little fire into your relationship.