PC Mechanic, New Article |
- Ever Consider Buying Batteries In Bulk?
- Ridiculously Cool IBM Advertisement – But Not By IBM
- How To Find the Right Laptop Cooler
- Texas’ Mistake And Why Nothing Happened
- Where Has The Jump Back/Forward List Gone In Firefox 4?
| Ever Consider Buying Batteries In Bulk? Posted: 13 Apr 2011 03:00 AM PDT Here’s something you probably didn’t know: You can buy AA batteries on eBay in bulk amounts of 1,120. Yes, that means one thousand one hundred twenty batteries. The price is usually around $300 for the lot. Just search for ‘AA battery’ on eBay, sort by highest price first, then go from there. At $300 for a lot of 1,120, this roughly works to $0.27 per battery when the shipping is free. And by the way, we’re talking name brand Energizers and Duracells here; not the cheap crap. "I’ll never go through that many batteries." Fair enough. There are also 620-counts and 400-counts. Here’s an example of a 620 lot of Duracells on eBay right now. What you get is this: …with a starting bid of $155. That’s $0.25 per battery. For Duracell brand. With an expiration date of 2017 (brand new). "I’ll still never go through that many batteries." Again, fair enough. Just keep searching on eBay for the right bulk purchase for AAs. You might come across a 50 or 100-count that’s more your style and save you a ton of money in the process. Consider for the moment that a 4-pack of AAs in most department stores is 5 dollars. That’s a whopping $1.25 per battery. When you get anywhere below a dollar per battery for premium brand like Duracell or Energizer, you’re doing real well. And when you can get them for 25 cents each, well, that’s just stellar. If you (or your kids) use digital cameras and wireless gaming controllers that eat up AAs for breakfast consistently, maybe a bulk AA battery purchase isn’t such a bad idea. On a final note, yes the shipping is free on the linked auction above. On other auctions you’ll find the shipping will almost always be free as well unless the bulk count is really low. Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.       |
| Ridiculously Cool IBM Advertisement – But Not By IBM Posted: 12 Apr 2011 02:11 PM PDT 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:
This ad is ridiculously cool (direct link if unable to see video below). The images were right, the soundtrack was spot-on (bombastic horns always say ‘business’), you very clearly know what the ad is promoting, it’s catchy.. it’s just plain cool. Square is not a bad thing – especially in business product advertising. It is 100% OK for business ads to look, well, ‘businessy’ – however they’re also supposed to grab your attention. The above does it and does it so right. Admit it, the ad above put a smile on your face. Too bad it’s not by IBM themselves. Totally would have been a winner. It it were shimmed down to 60 seconds, and right at the end of the ad a one-second Big Blue IBM logo splash appeared, it would have been perfect. Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.     |
| How To Find the Right Laptop Cooler Posted: 12 Apr 2011 12:00 PM PDT
Buying a laptop cooler is like purchasing any other accessory for your computer. You need to check out the specs, make sure it's compatible and then find the best price. Laptop coolers range from very basic to very complex. If you're looking to purchase the best laptop cooler out there, here are some things to keep in mind. Cooling Power The first thing you want to consider is how much power the product has. This doesn't mean pouring over more spec sheets or doing any physics calculations. Simply look at the design of the cooler and determine if you think it is a suitable match. Laptops that tend to run very hot will probably need more power than ones that don't. Laptops that only get hot to the touch, may do nicely with a basic cooler that lifts the laptop off the surface creating room for air to flow freely. Fans If you're looking for serious cooling power, then you'll likely want to get a cooler that uses a fan. Before purchasing this type, make sure you know which way your computer blows air to cool itself. Laptops that have bottom-mounted exhaust ports require a fan that draws air down and away from the computer. Conversely, laptops with bottom-mounted intake ports work with fans that direct air upward. Some of these units tend to run a bit noisy, but if you're willing to spend a little more you can find models that run relatively quiet. Of course, there is no noise as bad as the sound of your laptop overheating and burning out. Build Quality Build quality is an important consideration before making any type of purchase. You'll want to find one that is sturdy and if the model you like has an aluminum surface it will help draw even more heat away. Construction should be sound so that no rattling or flexing occurs. If you choose a cooler with a fan, listen for any strange or excessive noise. Though buying a top model may cost you a little more, coolers that are made well simply last longer. Power Source Fans need power to turn and laptop coolers can get power either through a wall adaptor or via a USB port. If you plan to make space in your laptop bag for your laptop cooler, models with a wall adaptor may not be the best choice. Tables near outlets in bookstores and cafes are prime real estate and rarely left open for long. If you feel as though you can't sacrifice a USB port, but also don't want to be dependent on outlets, look for a cooler that has a USB pass-through. These devices allow you to get your cooler running and still plug in your wireless mouse, thumb drive, beverage cooler or whatever USB accessory you need. Price and Value There is a wide range of prices on laptop coolers, but don't be fooled into believing that you must pay a premium price for a superior product. You don't want a cooler with a sub-par fan, but you also don't need to purchase one with features that you'll never use. If you take all of these factors into consideration, finding the best laptop cooler for you and your computer shouldn't be an all day affair. In theory, there should only be a few models standing at which point it likely becomes a question of budget or style. When you've successfully cooled down your computer, you might want to run to the drugstore and grab a heating pad. They're relatively inexpensive, uncomplicated, and your laptop will thank you. Katie Campbell is a writer and Computers Expert for Bestcovery.com where she seeks to help discover the best of everything. Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.     |
| Texas’ Mistake And Why Nothing Happened Posted: 12 Apr 2011 07:00 AM PDT You may have heard recently that the State of Texas accidentally left the public records of 3.5 million of its residents on a public-accessible state computer server. The information included names, addresses, SSNs and other information. The story has a happy ending as basically nothing happened. Why? Because the location of the server even though public wasn’t in plain sight, so to speak. In other words, you had to know it was there to get the data from it. Nobody did until a security scan was performed and found the information was in the open; it has since been secured properly. Initially, this sounds really bad because how could any state organization let slip by such a gross violation of private records? Well, the unfortunate truth is that this happens often in many state-run systems across the US and in other countries. This is basically no different than when police organizations were getting rid of their old photocopier machines that still had all the old scanned data on the copier’s internal hard drives. When should you be concerned?It’s really easy to figure out whether you should be concerned or not. If the town and/or state organizations you belong to have publicly accessible websites (which they most likely do), go there and perform a search on yourself. What information do you find? Is there anything there you don’t want public? If so, contact the organization. Also, if it’s a system that requires user credential information, what information can you get to once inside? Does the system provide a user list? Can you search by individual user, including yourself? What information can you get? You get the idea. If you don’t know whether or not the organizations you use treat user data securely, access their systems just like anyone else would and find out. It should only take a few minutes and you’ll discover quickly whether it raises red flags or not. If it does, you know what to do. Have you ever run across a town or state-run system were privacy wasn’t even a consideration? Tell us your story. Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.     |
| Where Has The Jump Back/Forward List Gone In Firefox 4? Posted: 12 Apr 2011 06:00 AM PDT Once you get accustomed (or customize) the new Firefox 4 interface, one thing you may notice is the drop down arrow next to the back and forward buttons is missing. This button is very helpful because it allows you to jump back several pages at once without having to click back on each page. This function still exists in Firefox 4 via a right-click on the back or forward button respectively. Simply right-click on the back (or forward) button and you will see your recent visiting history and clicking on the target you want will jump you to that page. Overall, this function works exactly the same way, you just get to it differently. Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.     |
Though some of you may have chosen to allow your laptop to double as heating pad, this is really a terrible idea. When you starve your laptop of the air it needs to cool down, you run the risk of letting it overheat. Those who have been there know how bad that can be.| You are subscribed to email updates from PCMech To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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